Barren Warren
by Aurora Bluewolf
Summary: Pitch captures Jack and turns him into a Pooka. While the other Guardians work to turn him back into a human spirit, Jack has to learn how to control his Pooka body with Bunnymund as his mentor. Possibilities are endless- slash if you want to squint for now. Rated T for scary moments, Jack freaking out, and author's potential naughty language.
1. Chapter 1

Rise of the Guardians: SnowBunny pairing if you want to squint. Maybe become something, but don't know for now. Please enjoy!

* * *

Jack had been enjoying his time since Pitch's defeat. After today's snowball fight in Burgess, he'd started to head back to his favorite lake to take a good long rest before heading to see North. The man had become like a grandfather to him in these past few months, and since Christmas was in a month, Jack thought he would offer a hand with the last few toy based issues. North had insisted that the boy stay with him, but Jack had politely declined. He needed his freedom, and being cooped up in a workshop for ten months out of the year wasn't going to fly with the ice spirit.

Walking down the deer path that lead to his favorite frozen pond, Jack allowed his thoughts to wander to his fellow guardians. He remembered how well they'd taken him in, even after all the mayhem he'd caused over the time he'd known them. Tooth was more than happy to sit with him while they reviewed his memories, going through every blasted heart wrenching thought that returned to Jack about his past life, and tending to the minor fallout the boy experienced (despite his best attempts to cover it). Sandy had given him fun dreams ever since the big battle, and for once he didn't have to worry about a dreamless sleep. North had offered him a new home with the Russian man at Santoff Claussen, which Jack was still debating on taking. Rumor had it the man had designed a whole room for the kid with everything he could have imagined- from old fashioned toys to new video games. Jack didn't know if it was right to hold himself away from people this long, but it was a very tempting offer.

And then there was Bunnymund…

The rabbit had been a good friend in the past few months, and served as a big brother figure to the boy. Jack was beginning to feel something different rise in his chest every time he was in the Pooka's presence. He couldn't quite place it, but it felt like he was going to puke from his throat area when the Pooka looked at him. He tried to ignore it at first, thinking it was just food poisoning, but-

A large, blunt object hit the back of Jack's head, knocking the boy to the ground. A familiar dark figure gathered the boy into his arms and quickly disappeared into a dark portal. The dazed Jack regained his strength as his head cleared, gripping his staff tightly as he was thrown onto the cold floor of a dank lair. He felt his arm hit first, hearing a light snap as he landed roughly. His good arm found its way to the floor to push himself upwards, then to tend to its injured sibling. A quick survey of the area showed his location was none other than Pitch's abode.

"Where are you?!" Jack barked, knowing full well that the Nightmare King wouldn't be kind to his youthful pain in the rear. A deep chuckle resonated through the chamber.

"What's the matter, Jack? Are you frightened?" Pitch's voice slithered through the lair, causing the ice spirit to shiver.

"Why? Should I be?" Jack mocked, knowing full well that he couldn't take Pitch on by himself.

"Oh my! So feisty! You were always the fun one, weren't you, Jack?" Pitch practically moaned into his ear as Jack felt the large hand of the man find its way to Jack's less sore shoulder. Jack spun around quickly, nearly losing his balance as he tried to freeze the man in his place.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Jack growled as his eyes darted around the room, trying to get a good grasp on the Nightmare King's position before firing. At the rate he was going, he was going to sap his energy before he even got a shot in.

"Oh, but you should be." Pitch said as he used his powers to slam the younger spirit against the far wall, generating a sickening crack from the blue clad teenager. Jack gasped as he hit the wall, sliding down the cold stone to the floor. Before he could regain his composure, he felt the burning darkness slam against his wrists, holding him to the wall. Jack thrashed around as best he could, but to no avail. He managed to pry his frustrated teary lids open to see the grotesque smirk emanating from Pitch's lips casting a new wave of vomit worthy cringing through the boy's body.

"Let me go!" Jack growled through tensely shut teeth. Pitch chuckled again, making Jack give a hard kick outwards, but only managed to his air.

"I don't think so." Pitch said as he reached his pale hand towards the boy's head. Jack jerked his head to the side, but didn't avoid the grim fingers from finding his head.

"What are you doing?" Jack gasped as Pitch's fingertips glowed with a green light. Pitch smiled as he replied.

"Just a little experiment." The Nightmare King replied. Jack's head exploded in heat, making the ice spirit scream in pain as the Nightmare King cast his spell. Jack felt his bones rearranging themselves, stretching and twisting in unusual shapes. Numbness started to take over his body from his feet upwards as Jack felt his skin tingle. Darkness entered his mind not long after the numbness reached his head.

* * *

The Guardians were cautious as they padded their way into Pitch's lair. The obvious set up for an ambush wasn't enough to make them turn back. If Pitch's message to North was any indication of the youngest Guardian's whereabouts, they needed to at least investigate the dark lair of the Nightmare King.

"Maybe the old horror story was lying?" Bunnymund suggested as he walked behind North with his ears raised high, trying to pick up on the tiniest sounds of assailants. Pitch's fortress had to be crawling with Nightmares by this time of night, and Bunny would be royally ticked if they thought they'd get the better of the four Guardians by sneaking up on them.

"It's always possible, but unlikely, my friend." North replied, his swords drawn and ready for any fight that wandered their way. Leave it to Pitch to make the most guest hostile lair in history. There was barely enough light to see where you were stepping, and what little was granted had to be granted by Manny through the cracks in the fortress walls. Thankfully, there was still a giant, gaping hole in the side of the mountain where Pitch's Nightmare would return each night. It provided a fair bit of light in the Nightmare King's throne room, courtesy of an 'unexplained' ice avalanche a few months back. That very incident was probably the precursor to their trip here- Jack. Blasted brat didn't know when to keep his tricks to himself! Now the Nightmare King had captured the kid!

"And Frostbite?" Bunnymund growled, displeased that his normally restful offseason was interrupted by Jack Frost. The cute little ice spirit was nothing more than a pain in his side, and always addressed him as the 'Easter Kangaroo'.

"Pitch said the brat fell in here during a trick, but I doubt that." North replied.

"You don't think he tried to catch Jack, do you?" Tooth asked, fearful that something horrible had befallen their youngest member.

"Knowing Pitch's past, Jack could be strapped to a table right now." North replied. Pitch had a fetish for scaring people, and he would occasionally catch some poor fool and torment them with close calls and mock surgical setups. Surely enough, it worked. People believed in the Boogeyman again because he scared them out of their pants.

"But Jack's too strong to-" Tooth was cut off as a blur of grey and white sped past them, nearly knocking Sandy down from his floating position. Bunnymund skidded to a stop as the others watched where he was going. He knelt down and started to tend to a small form on the floor of the far wall. The remaining three Guardians rushed to see what the grey Pooka was so interested in.

On the floor, curled into a fetal position, was a small white Pooka. North couldn't believe was he was seeing, but Tooth and Sandy quickly joined the grey rabbit in investigating the small being. North approached the other Guardians, kneeling to see the small rabbit. They had no markings, so familial identification wasn't possible. Judging by his coloration, this Pooka didn't even seem to be part of the southern clans.

"We need to get out of here." Bunnymund said grimly, fearful of this Pooka staying in Pitch's lair. Pitch caused the massacre that left Bunnymund alone all those years ago, and Bunny refused to let him steal this last soul from him. The years alone in the barren warren had left the rabbit resigned to an immortal life of wondering what he could have done different that day. All these years of regret that seemed to subside to resignation of grave bedded memories had vanished in a moment when he saw this tiny, living Pooka. He swore he'd protect this last chance of hope, even if it still meant the species was functionally gone.

"What about Jack?" Tooth asked as she ruffled the small rabbit's top most fur.

"Oh, don't worry." A slimy cool voice penetrated the room. The Guardians shot the Nightmare King a unified dirty look as he glided down the steps of the throne.

"Where's Jack?!" North barked, his swords drawn and ready to fight for the young man's safety.

"He's apparently in good hands." Pitch replied curtly.

"What did you do to him?" Bunnymund demanded as he held the small rabbit tightly to his chest.

"Nothing you haven't seen already. Now please, get out of my lair. Your business here is over." Pitch announced as he turned to leave again. The Guardians looked to North, who motioned for them to gather the rabbit and get out of the lair while they still had a chance. Bunnymund grabbed the tiny white bundle and started to run with all his strength towards the sleigh. His rabbit holes could mange him alone, but carrying anything larger than a basket was nearly impossible without hitting his head.

They were almost out the door when Tooth noticed the young ice spirit's staff discarded on the floor of the throne room. She went to gathered it, but noticed shreds of blue and brown fabric scattered around the stone. She had to wait to tell the others as she fluttered out the door to catch up.

* * *

-Santoff Claussen-

The small rabbit had been placed in the medical wing of North's workshop and was being carefully tended to by the elves and yetis. North, Tooth and Sandy discussed what the next move was, and how to find Jack since North's globe wasn't working on the ice spirit. It kept detecting that he was right there in the shop, but the only object of his that was in the Germanic wooden decorated walls was his precious staff.

Bunnymund, true to his personal promise, sat vigilant at the young rabbit's side. The white ball of fluff had yet to awaken, and the longer it took, the more Bunny worried. Such a young Pooka in the hands of Pitch was concerning to say the least, but there was no explanation as to how the smaller fluffy being had arrived at the dark, dank lair of the Nightmare King.

North entered the room to check on the rabbit after four hours of discussion and small talk. Bunny hadn't twitched a muscle, and North managed to accidentally startle the rabbit from his thoughts about the Pooka race and longing memories of his own family many years ago.

"Any change, my friend?" North asked as he took a seat opposite the rabbit. Bunny smiled for a moment before rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Nope. Little fluffy here's still out cold. Any news on the annoyance?" Bunnymund replied. North breathed deeply as he hoped the younger rabbit would have some news or at least an idea of how he fell into the Nightmare King's hands. This rabbit couldn't have been older than Jack, which was all the more reason to worry about him. North had grown very used to the boy coming in and out of the workshop as he pleased, stealing cookies or cookie dough when he was hungry. North had even begun to prepare a room for the boy, and was planning to ask him to join him in Santoff Claussen in the off season, but Jack refused. The teenager said he was too free to ever really feel at home in a cooped up workshop. North tried not to take it personally, but it still hurt to know the boy didn't want to stay with him. His disappearance weighed on North much like a parent would to any child.

"Not a peep. The globe still says he's here. I think it's stuck." North replied, knowing that Bunny hadn't been a part of that discussion.

"So what are we gonna do?" Bunnymund asked as he removed a boomerang from his satchel and examined it for the eighth time that evening.

"We keep looking. Maybe he got shoved into the staff?" North offered. Bunnymund chuckled at the other man.

"Would seem right! He always hated being confined!" Bunnymund laughed as the mood dissipated. North joined in the awkward laughter, his belly jumping with laughter as he chuckled harder and harder.

"Oh! And when we get him out, he'll have rabbit ears!" North joined in the fun, totally ignoring the resting charge in the bed between them.

"Oh, that would be a treat! Then he couldn't call me 'Kangaroo'!" E. Aster laughed back. A tiny moan interrupted their chortling. They looked down in unison to see the small Pooka twitching in his bed. White furry eyelids began to pry themselves open as he twisted, his forehead knotting and unknotting as he opened his bright blue eyes to stare at his saviors.

"Hey there, little guy." Bunnymund spoke, his voice gentle and easy. He'd forgotten when the last time he spoke to someone like this, but it had been far too long.

"Wha-?" The small rabbit's voice mumbled out, barely intelligible to the two mens ears.

"Oh, good! We thought you'd never wake up!" North added in. The small rabbit raised his hand to block the bright light above him, moaning in minor pain as the light ground into the eyes.

"What?" The small Pooka replied. Bunnymund silenced himself as North kept smiling.

"What is your name, little one?" North asked, receiving a questioning look from the young rabbit.

"North?" The rabbit replied, his tiny voice finally coming through. North froze and Bunnymund straightened himself in realization.

"Oh no…" Bunnymund said as he reached forward to examine the sweet rabbit that was still lying on the bed.

"Jack?" North gasped, completely sideswiped by the realization.

"Yeah? Who'd you think I was?" Jack replied as he started to sit upwards. Bunnymund offered a strong arm to help the injured ice spirit sit up. Jack's hand flew to his chest as it stung. He then noticed the thick padding of fur that covered his entire body.

"Jack, stay calm." North said as the white Pooka started to thrash against the blankets. Jack managed to kick them off and observed the pristine white fluff that covered his body. His breathe caught in his lungs, strangling him with stress filled confusion.

"WHAT- WHAT IS THIS?!" Jack yelled. Bunnymund had to bend his ears to prevent his eardrums from being shattered. North jumped forward and gripped the young rabbit, who was now fighting to get out of bed. Jack beat him to the edge of the padded surface, but tripped over his now enlarged feet.

"Jack! Please! Calm down!" North ordered, trying to get the small rabbit to relax as the epic breakdown began.

"Calm down?! Calm down?! I'm covered in fur! How am I suppose to be calm?!" Jack panicked. North released the young Pooka as he tried to escape, only to be caught by Bunnymund instead.

"Jack, stop this. We can fix this." Bunnymund encouraged. Jack gave a few more mediocre kicks before tucking his head into the larger Pooka's chest. Bunnymund ran a hand over the smaller rabbit's ears as North excused himself to the archives of Santoff Claussen to search for a cure. Jack shivered against the larger Pooka, who in return gathered the small rabbit into his arms and placed him on the bed.

"I hate this…" Jack said as he clung to Bunny, who only let go of the younger Pooka to grab the covers that had been kicked off earlier and wrap them around both inhabitants of the bed.

"I know, but just calm down. No need to get so worried about all this. North will find a fix or we'll ask Manny about it." Bunny said as he cradled the tiny rabbit in his arms. Jack shivered and shook a few more times before nuzzling into the thick fur of Bunnymund.

Bunny watched the younger Pooka drift off for a few minutes before resting his head on the pillow. He knew in the back of his mind that Jack couldn't stay in the frozen north for too long, or he'd freeze from the weather. Pooka bodies weren't made to withstand temperatures below temperate regions, so they would have to nudge the young Pooka into either staying with Tooth or in Bunnymund's warren. Despite their past misgivings, Bunny had begun to enjoy having the brat around. It was almost like having a family again- with Tooth and North as the mother and father, Sandy as the wise cousin, and Manny as the grandfather who just laughed at everything they did. And Jack? Jack was somewhere between annoying younger brother and potential sparring partner.

Bunnymund's thoughts were lost as he relaxed into the bedding, his arms protectively curled around the ball of white fluff nestled against him. Dreamless slumber took in less than a minute.

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I have an idea where this is going, but it's not going above Teen ratings in action. Language is up the air for now, because I have a bad tendency to swear when I want to get an emotional point across.


	2. Chapter 2

Major thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed or favorited! You really made my week!

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Morning at North's workshop was much like every day during winter this far north- dark and awkwardly feeling around the room for a light. North hadn't bothered to move the pair of Pookas after they had bedded down for the evening (well, if one could consider one in the morning evening), but was kind enough to mention that his guest room was prepared if they'd like to rest in a more private accommodations this evening. Bunnymund had politely declined, citing that he needed to get Jack to a warmer climate if he was going to learn how to use his feet and body properly. North smiled at the grey Pooka, and clapped him on the shoulder like an old friend before Jack sluggishly dragged his feet into the room.

"Jack Frost!" North proclaimed as the Pooka rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Bunnymund tried to ignore that little fluttering feeling of potential joke fodder, or whatever that rising grip in his throat was.

"Muph- morning…" Jack mumbled out, his voice weary from his rest and the emotional outburst the previous evening.

"Feeling better, fluffy?" Bunnymund joked, earning himself a glare from the smaller rabbit.

"Yeah…" Jack grumbled. Bunnymund laughed and North chortled at the expression that plastered itself on Jack's face.

"Come now, little cottontail! We have work to do!" North laughed as he shoved a mug of hot chocolate into the bandaged Pooka's good hand. Jack observed the mug with a look of uncertainty, wondering if an elf or yeti was tempted to lace his drink with laxatives or some odd spice he'd never heard of. A testing sip gained his trust in the drink, and he took a few more elongated, hearty slurps of the warm fluid. Suddenly heavy warmth covered his shoulders, and he found that North had wrapped a dense, but thin blue blanket around the now furry ice spirit's shoulders.

"Now, after an evening of elves searching in the archives, we have found a way to give you your ice powers back. We are still searching for a way to turn you back to human." North began as Jack glanced up at the two men. Tooth and Sandy were busy around the clock, and had already returned to their places in the world- with Tooth issuing orders to her fairies and Sandy putting more kids into the wonderful world of dreams. One benefit of being an immortal was you never needed to sleep, but it was a treat when a moment of time could be spared. Jack loved to take a good nap during the day, but he also had the joy of few responsibilities to the seasons after he sent the snow clouds, wind and rain to their appropriate destinations. He didn't have to worry about millions of children beating down his door for eggs, presents or money. He couldn't envy the big four for their fame and fandom, but he wouldn't want to trade places either. He was too free to respond to the demands of every child on the planet, and most likely would have caused a worldwide blizzard if he attempted to appease every single request. Jack wasn't stupid. He knew that certain places on Earth had to remain at relatively similar temperatures, or food production, energy, and transportation would be hindered. Jack didn't want anyone to starve, and he certainly didn't want anyone to die because of his pranks. Pranks weren't fun if someone got hurt.

"So I can still be the ice spirit?" Jack asked, not really knowing what else to say, but was trying to be active in the conversation.

"Yes, yes. Manny wouldn't have it any other way. He said so himself last night. Pointed us to the book and everything." North replied. The Man in the Moon had always had a soft spot for the young spirit, and North had a feeling that Manny had a plan to make this whole situation work. He still couldn't figure out how Manny was glad to point out the Restorative Powers scroll, but wouldn't help them find a spell reversal text of any sort.

"Manny's pretty awesome." Jack offered, his mind clearly elsewhere. His bright blue eyes kept wandering to the grey Pooka in the opposing chair, munching loudly on a carrot and grabbing a piece of toast. Jack himself had taken to a vegetarian diet some time ago, but he'd forgotten that Pooka's could eat grains. Jack tentatively reached for a slice of toasted bread, gingerly taking a small bite as he placed his hot chocolate on the table. North had already consumed two plates of eggs, sausage and pancakes before addressing the pair again.

"With the scroll he pointed out, we should have the spell ready within a week. We need to collect some ingredients, but we should able to give you back your havoc reeking powers." North chuckled. Bunnymund laughed along, but Jack could only muster a small smile. Bunny felt bad that the typically joyful kid couldn't seem to laugh at a well meaning joke.

"Come on, Frostbite. It'll be ok." Bunnymund offered, gaining another smile from the smaller Pooka.

"Perhaps it would be best to get alone with the day. I take it you're going to chaperone Jack today?"North asked Bunny as he sipped his warm eggnog laced coffee. Bunny nodded, but Jack gave the pair an odd look.

"What's wrong, Frosty?" Bunny asked, a slight bit of laughter at the end in an attempt to lighten the upset boy.

"Sorry I have to be a chore…" Jack grumbled, his attitude slipping through in a mixture of sarcasm and innocent humility. Jack was so used to being on his own and taking care of himself, the idea of imposing his presence on the other four Guardians was like taking a wrecking ball to the chest. Bunnymund picked up on this vibe and moved closer to the white Pooka.

"Jack, you're not a burden. Understand, mate, we can't let Pitch have another go at using you." Bunnymund replied, his tone careful and soft. Jack gazed his big blue eyes up at the grey rabbit, smiling at the fact that someone cared enough about him to want him around. He was expecting the grey rabbit to scoff at the idea of keeping his old enemy in his warren.

"Bunny's right, Jack. Despite the past, we do care about you. It would be safest and less damage if you stayed in Bunny's warren." North replied in his heavy Russian accent. Jack smiled a little brighter at the two men. Bunny ruffled his top most fur as he pulled the brat against his chest like an old friend.

"I'd almost forgotten, Christmas is just around the corner…" Jack noted. He was so used to spending all of the holidays alone, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to have a family at the seasonal celebrations. But North and his workshop were suppose to be in full production mode until Christmas Day, and Jack had an insufferable penchant for pranks that just wouldn't fly with the Russian.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to get you back to normal and Christmas will still be on time!" North declared, clapping the young man on the back happily. Bunnymund smirked and grabbed the smaller Pooka, hauling him over his shoulder in one switch, fluid movement.

"H-Hey!" Jack gasped.

"While I like your spunk, you ain't gonna last a minute in my tunnels. Hang on!" Bunnymund said as he saluted North with two fingers to his forehead, and jumped down to the exit door of the workshop.

"But my staff!" Jack protested. Bunnymund waved it off with a scoff.

"You can't control it right now, anyways. It'll be here when you get back!" Bunnymund said as he stepped past a polite elf holding the door wide open and into the wild stormy winds. As soon as the sound of the metal door shut reached Jack's ears, he heard a tap of a foot and was plummeted down the infamous rabbit hole. Bunnymund kept his hold on the ice spirit tight, making sure that the kid wouldn't get lost as they dropped into the warren.

Jack felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs as they met the ground. Bunnymund kept his footing, but Jack nearly lost his breakfast when the gravity decided to tug his already rough stomach back to earth.

"Ugg…" Jack mumbled as Bunnymund's hand left his body, allowing the kid to tumble into the lifted burrow top nearby. Jack stopped moving for a moment to tend to his sore ribs, but that didn't stop his nose from twitching in the dew dripping grass. He had never smelled grass so sweet before, but it was amazing. It was like the result of candied apples and sugar coated plums having a one night stand! Jack didn't bother to hinder his movements as he allowed his stiff body to stretch and bend over the soft blades, inhaling their sweet aroma as it covered his body.

"You alright there, Frostbite?" Bunnymund chuckled at the white rabbit. Jack peered one bleary blue eye at the grey Pooka, who was chortling at the white ball of fluff coating himself in smashed green plant pigments. Jack smiled at the older Pooka.

"Why does your grass smell so good?" Jack inquired. Bunnymund perked an ear up at the question, a devious smirk emerging on his face.

"Well, I think it's 'cause you've never smelled grass before smellin' it with a Pooka's nose." Bunny replied. Jack pushed himself up to look at the elder immortal.

"What's the difference?" Jack asked, his ears going from very floppy to an interested perk. Bunnymund wanted to give those ears a good tug, but knew better than to tease an injured man when he was probably still out of it on the meds the elves had given him.

"Our sense of smell is about thirty times better than what you're used to. Go ahead, sniff around." Bunny allowed the smaller Pooka to slid off the uplifted pedestal and to the floor of the warren. Jack closed his eyes and let his nose tell him everything that was in this green kingdom. He could smell things he'd forgotten for so many years- tulips, roses, daffodils, and so many other flowers that he'd lost when he became the ice spirit. He slowly took in the scents, not even noticing the grey rabbit moving behind him to drape his arms over the younger Pooka's shoulders, pulling him into a loose hug. Jack stopped living in the scents that dappled the air and moved his pink nose to the grey Pooka's forearm, taking in the scent of the elder rabbit.

"Jack…" Bunnymund said as he pulled the white Pooka back into his chest, rubbing his nose against the kid's fluff. Jack smiled at E. Aster, feeling an odd warm sensation spreading through his chest and down to his legs. He couldn't place it, but he hadn't felt it in so long, he didn't reject the attention he was receiving.

"You have a very cool place here, Kangaroo." Jack chuckled. Bunnymund smirked.

"Whatever you say, Frostbite." Bunnymund said as he released the kid and started walking towards the centermost portion of the warren. Jack saw a large mound of dirt and stone mound built up, with a few rabbit holes poking out of the sides. He assumed this was Bunnymund's 'palace', which seemed about right for a rabbit of his size.

"So this is where you snooze." Jack said redundantly. Bunny nodded, and with a smirk, waved for the kid to follow him.

"I have guest rooms, but never thought to use 'em. And everything here's veg and fruit, so don't expect anything else." Bunny said as he started to lay down the ground rules. Jack kept his signature mischievous smile the entire trip to the palace. Entering the stone doors, He noted the carvings on the front. They mimicked the same carvings he'd seen on the sentinel eggs and totems.

"Now, relax for tonight, and tomorrow we'll start with the basics. With your bumps and bruises, I don't want North or Tooth flippin' on me about your training bein' too rough." Bunnymund joked as he led the smaller Pooka into the living area. Jack noted that the area was much like North's control room. In the center, there was a large computer round table with egglettes manning the holographic globe focusing on the children who still believed in the Easter Bunny. They seemed to be talking in their own egglette language, but Bunnymund simply nodded to the one that had approached him while Jack was taking in the effect of Bunnymund's command center. Bunny looked up to see the white fluff ball wandering backwards into the flood of egglettes coming through. Bunny grabbed the young rabbit by the arm and pulled him out of the way, huffing to the egglettes as they carried on with their daily duties.

"Whoa!" Jack gasped as he was pulled into the rabbit's chest, flopping against the granite like front of the grey rabbit. Bunnymund didn't bother pushing the kid away, but gladly held his arms around the bratty rabbit as he lost himself in his own thoughts again. The last time he'd held someone like this was before the massacre. It still stung in his heart, but that tiny little voice in the back of his head echoed words of encouragement and moving forward. He'd ignored it time and time again, but this round was different. This round, his center was agreeing with the blasted voice.

"We-uh- We should get you to your room." Bunny suggested, finally releasing Jack.

"Okay…" Jack said as he gathered himself and followed the older Pooka. Bunny led him down the stairs of the command center, carefully treading where the egglettes weren't. Jack followed closely, but made sure he didn't bump into the older rabbit. Despite his typical mischievous self, he knew better than to get on the bad side of a Guardian. Bunny was a force to be reckoned with on a good day, but Jack was certain he was still angry about '68.

"Here's where you'll be sleepin'." Bunny announced as he pushed open a round wooden door. Behind it was a moderate guest room with no decorations. Jack noted that it seemed rather unused, but he doubted the rabbit had many guests outside the mythological world. It wasn't like you could just call up a unicorn and ask him if he wanted tea or watch the Super Bowl with the local werewolves.

"I gotta say, rockin' the modern style." Jack commented, suspecting Bunny wasn't too interested in his opinion of the room. It wasn't Shangri-La, but it was still better than sleeping on the ground or in a tree.

"Glad ya like it, Frosty." Bunny joked. Jack chuckled along with him, turning around to see a small chair by the door. Upon the chair was a small stuffed rabbit doll, floppy from years of use and worn to the seams. Jack started to approach the doll out of curiosity, but Bunny's large paw beat him to the flimsy toy.

"Uh?" Jack said as he watched the Pooka's ears drop and his eyebrows furrow. He clutched the doll tightly to his chest, as if it was going to disappear in a moment's notice.

"Sorry- that wasn't supposed to be here." Bunny said, his defensive side showing as he quickly escaped the room. Jack reached out a paw after him, but received nothing as he tried to stop the rabbit. His curiosity was screaming at him to launch an interrogation of the doll's meaning to the egglettes, but his recently developed sensible side told him to wait and ask when the time was right. Bunny seemed almost upset about the doll, and Jack couldn't place why.

* * *

Please review politely! It makes me want to write more!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you again to all my readers and reviewers! You guys just make my life so much better! And a major thanks to Raven Bloodwolf, who followed me here from the Thor fanfiction section! Nice to see you again!

I don't own Rise of the Guardians and make no money off this. Rated for slightly depressing memories.

* * *

After a nice long nap, Jack stretched his limbs and padded his way back to the control room. He didn't bother the egglettes hurrying left and right around the hallways, but managed to find his way back to the control room after a few wrong turns. At least he found the bathroom, library, and what seemed to be a Australian themed dojo. He noticed Bunny standing quietly stiff near the smaller globe as he entered the hectic room.

"Hey, kangaroo."Jack greeted as he approached the rabbit. Bunny smirked as the kid and reached out to ruffle the fur on the top of Jack's head.

"Feelin' more at home, Frostbite?" Bunny inquired. Jack stretched to loosen his muscles and nodded with a bright smile, showing off his new rabbit teeth. Despite the unexpected change, they still sparkled like freshly fallen snow.

"So, what's going on up there?" Jack asked, nodding to the globe.

"Just seeing what needs to be done for next Easter. You'd be surprised how often we check this thing." Bunny replied. Jack shrugged, finding the sudden amount of energy around the room to be disturbing. He wasn't used to waking up to borderline chaos after a calming nap.

"Like, once a day?" Jack joked. Bunny smirked at the kid before his ears raised up in pride.

"More like once a week. Times are quiet in the off season. And frankly, I think I like the prospect of sleepin' in instead of gathering stuff."Bunny replied. Jack laughed lightly at the reply.

"And here I thought you guys had to keep up appearances." Jack chortled.

"Savin' Grace of Easter and Christmas- you only have to perform once a year, but it needs to be a big performance." Bunny replied, his chest slightly puffing out to show his muscles. Jack chuckled at the display of pride.

"So what do you do in the off-season?" Jack asked, his mind running rampant with the ideas of what you could do in a place like the Warren.

"Most of the year I just tend to the flowers here. Ya know, give 'em what they need and watch the days go by." Bunny replied. Jack raised a eyebrow.

"Most of the year? What about the rest?" Jack asked. He immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing when Bunny's ears drooped again, and his eyes took a darkened shade to their coloration.

"I go visit a place…" Bunny replied, scratching behind his ear as his voice dropped its tough tone and replaced it with a reluctant murmur. Jack was afraid to ask anything further, fearing he'd upset the rabbit beyond any prank he'd ever pulled before. And not that the seven foot tall rabbit hadn't been the target of most of his pranks (not that Jack could explain why, but he was fun to prank), but all of his pranks were meant to make people happy. The look of sobering sadness painted on the rabbit's face was enough to make any prankster apologize for his actions.

"Bunny, I didn't mean to-" Jack began, but he was stopped by a large paw on his shoulder.

"Naw. You probably don't know what happened, do ya?" Bunny retorted. Jack stared at the larger rabbit, as if he'd just read a page from a chemistry book to a four year old.

"What happened?" Jack inquired, as if he'd missed a big history lesson in Intro to Being a Guardian.

"Walk with me. You need to know this if you're gonna be a part of this team." Bunny said as he headed out another rabbit hole. A few minutes of silent following lead Jack to a large mural- much like the ones he'd seen at Tooth's and North's palaces.

"What is all of this?" Jack asked, as he looked up at the large, colorful decorations of Pooka figures jumping about in what appeared to be the Warren. Upon further investigation, Jack noticed that there were buildings and farms in this mural. The Warren didn't have anything resembling the odd white and brown structures in the mural.

"A long, long time ago, my clan thrived in another land. Our kind lived everywhere- from the far north to the rainforests. We had good lives, but the humans saw us as something else. They insisted that we were demons or evil, and started killing off our villages by any means necessary. My clan used to live in what's now the British Isles…" Bunny trailed off for a moment. Jack didn't move, but watched the grey Pooka's shoulders slump in defeat.

"So why'd you move here." Jack asked, fear gripping his chest as he prayed he didn't offend the rabbit. Bunny smiled back at the younger man, reaching out to ruffle his fur.

"Pitch." Bunny said, gripping his fingers into a fist as his tone changed to a growl instead of his typical Australian tough guy voice. Jack felt the need to rally against the dark being again, but felt he should hear the story at least once before jumping off to battle.

"Pitch?" Jack asked, his anger still starting to boil in his belly.

"He figured out a way to show himself to non-believers- adults and such. He led them straight to my village..." Bunnymund paused for a moment. "And burned it to the ground."

Jack watched as the grey rabbit withdrew the same ragdoll rabbit he'd seen in the guest room earlier. Jack didn't know what to say at the moment, but offered a hand on the larger rabbit's shoulder.

"Was that your daughters'?" Jack asked, trying his best not to offend the rabbit, but his roaring curiosity needed to be tended to.

"Nah. It was my little sis's. Close though." Bunny remarked in a slightly more upbeat voice, his inner strength showing through as he held the worn doll close to his chest.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Jack replied, trying to keep the conversation up. Bunnymund looked back to the kid, smirking his sarcastic smile.

"Yeah, I had two little brothers from the same litter. I miss 'em each day, but ya remind me of them a lot. Real pranksters, the whole lot of younglings from that year. Think I was a bad influence on 'em." Bunny joked, his arm falling over Jack's shoulders as he pulled the kid down to the mossy hill that served as a seat. Jack smiled and rolled into the warmth of the grey rabbit's arm.

"You? Mr. Perfectly straight forward? The kangaroo that never steps a toe out of line?" Jack joked. Bunny smirked down to the kid, pulling him closer as he continued the tale.

"Yeah, I use to be a real hellion. Pranks, jokes, the whole nine yards- Mum used to hate it. Scolded me when I spooked her." Bunny laughed. Jack joined in the chortling, trying to stay as in the mood as Bunny was.

"What about your dad?" Jack asked, curiosity cropping up again. Bunny stopped laughing and took a blank look for a moment.

"My kind didn't really have clear fathers. During season, you could easily have ten partners, so it was hard to tell who's kid was who's. And it wasn't uncommon for you to have four or five brothers in a litter, so each one could have a different father. Mum told me who she thought was my father, but he was the tribal leader. I didn't get to see him much, but I never felt unloved." Bunny said as he ran a few large fingers through the smaller Pooka's unruly head fluff.

"Was he a nice guy?" Jack wondered, his own thoughts trickling back to his family. He'd dealt with the hurt of losing them shortly after the battle with Pitch, and made peace with it about a week ago.

"He was wise, and very kind. He called me 'son' more than any of the other kits. Always had time when I got scraped up or into a real brawl. I don't think he had any other children, but I kept an eye on him during the beginning of the season. Leaders weren't supposed to take more than one mate. Suppose to keep the lines clear." Bunnymund continued. Jack smiled as he snuggled his head into the warm fluff of the grey rabbit's chest.

"So you were next in line?" Jack asked. Bunnymund paused for a moment, tension in his throat rising against the memory triggered dryness that seemed to raise its ugly head again.

"Yeah. When Father passed, I took the clan's formal markings and was supposed to start leading…" Bunnymund replied, his voice quieting as he reached up to thumb the darker markings on his fur. Jack wasn't sure if he should ask more, but let the moment slowly pass until the grey rabbit pulled Jack on towards his chest, hugging him tightly.

"And?" Jack whispered as he was pulled forwards.

"Pitch's attack came the next day. We didn't even see it coming." Bunny replied. His muscles tensed around the young rabbit, holding him so tightly, Jack thought he might pop.

"Bunny…" Jack replied, his voice laced with concern and sadness as he tried to comfort the grey rabbit as best he could.

"Jack…" Bunny started, before taking a deep breath and releasing his hand from the top fluff of the white rabbit's fur.

"Yeah?" Jack inquired.

"I'm really glad you're here." Bunny said as he rolled onto his other side, taking Jack with him. Jack didn't protest, but simply curled into the larger form of the Easter Bunny. Jack thought he'd lost a lot when he'd drown in the lake, but he never thought of what it would be like to have your entire town killed before your eyes.

Jack didn't say anything, but he started to stroke the dense grey fur. They remained like that for a few minutes before Bunny pulled back from the warmth of the hug, untangling himself as he nodded towards the opening they'd come from. Jack rose from his position on the sweet grass hill and followed the taller Pooka, offering one last glance towards the bright green and blue mural.

"Now, we need to get a move on things. We've got to get you used to more than just walking without fallin' on your face." Bunny said as he led Jack to the outside of the palace. Moving into a large, grassy area, Bunny turned to Jack with an intense look painted on his face.

"So what's up first?" Jack asked, his confidence in the new body growing as he straightened his spine.

"First things first- we need to get you hopping." Bunny said as he grabbed the scruff of Jack's neck and threw him to the center of the field. Jack stumbled before falling forward on the sweet, now dry grass. He pushed himself upwards to glare at the larger rabbit. Bunnymund chuckled at the smaller Pooka as he came up right beside him and kneeled to the ground.

"So, what do I do?" Jack asked as he mimicked the position Bunny held.

"Alright, just press your feet down and try not to let your toes slip too much." Bunny told him as he pushed downwards on the ground. Jack copied his new mentor's position, pressing his feet down and immediately flying forward, crashing into the clumping grass. Bunny fell over in laughter, watching the white rabbit flop over himself while trying to stand back up.

"That's not funny!" Jack chortled, his good humor coming through as he pushed the loose grass blades off his fur. Bunny's laughter ceased after a moment, only clinging to the last few murmurs of huffing breath.

"Sorry Frosty, but that brought back some memories!" Bunny chuckled as he flipped over on his left side, holding his right tightly as the stitches started to rise. Jack rose back to his clumsy feet and carefully paced his way back over to the rabbit, plopping down beside him. Bunny couldn't help but stare at the green stains that now painted themselves all over the previously pristine platinum coat of the snowy spirit.

"Yeah, yeah- funny. Now, what's next?" Jack asked as he brushed some more grass pieces off his fur. Bunny rose up to catch his breath.

"Well, you'll eventually get the hop down, but I should probably teach you how to fight next." Bunny said as he stood up, stretching his sore muscles.

"Hey, I can't fight just fine. Remember, I just helped you guys take down the Nightmare King?" Jack joked.

"True, but you had your staff and control of winter then. If I recall, since his little experiment, you can't do any frozen tricks anymore." Bunny retorted. Jack scoffed at the elder rabbit, smirking as he realized his vulnerability.

"So, you're gonna teach me how to kick butt rabbit style?" Jack replied.

"Yup. Now," Bunny said as he went behind Jack, gently placing his hands under the younger rabbits' arms and lifting them just slightly.

"What are you-?" Jack started to ask, the question losing itself on his tongue as Bunny moved his arms into a fighting position.

"Keep your arms up tight and get ready to use your feet a lot." Bunny ordered. Jack tensed his legs, unsure of what exactly to do. He was used to using his staff as a means of protection, but hand to hand combat had never really been on his list of things to learn fast. Looking back, he supposed he should have thought about losing his powers sooner or later- but then again, when you have no idea what you are suppose to do with your life, losing your powers doesn't seem to be that big of an issue. And he'd gotten so used to his staff always being there, it became like an extra arm.

"Now what?" Jack asked.

"Now, I want to kick out hard and pull it back without losin' your balance." Bunny ordered. Jack launched his leg outwards, shoving his pelvis out unexpectedly, and tried to pull it back. Once again, he landed on the ground, ears flopping over his feet as he tried to regain his balance against the laughter of the large Pooka behind him.

A glance at the grey Pooka showed his mentor slumping against a sentinel egg, his face partially covered by a large paw and his chest heaving with whole hearted laughter. Jack couldn't help but smile at the cheerful side of the grey rabbit.

"Oh- I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh." Bunny admitted as he pushed himself off the egg and walked towards Jack to offer a paw to the younger rabbit. Jack took it without hesitation, and felt his body pulled into the warm fluff of the elder rabbit.

"Ouch…" Jack gasped as he gripped his side in pain. He'd forgotten that he still had a fair bit of bruising and at least one cracked rib from his battle with Pitch. Bunny placed a large, warm hand on the offending side before offering Jack a sympathetic look.

"I think that's enough for now. We can try again later if you're up to it." Bunny said as he placed a heavy arm around Jack's shoulders and gently pulled him towards the palace again.

"Hey Bunny?" Jack asked, much like a small child would begin to ask a question when they were trying to be polite.

"Yeah?" Bunnymund replied.

"Why do you have a palace in your Warren?" Jack inquired. Bunny chuckled at the question.

"Easy. I have to let it rain in here sometimes, and I don't like to get wet. So I made a palace to keep myself and my egglettes dry while the flowers get what they need- nothing compared to building Australia! It also serves as a nice place to keep temperature sensitive stuff." Bunny replied with a broad smirk.

Jack could only smile as he followed Bunny into the large opening. He allowed himself to be led back to the control center, where the egglettes had set up a long Greco-Roman styled couch behind what he could only assume was Bunny's chair in the center of the third plat formed floor. All five of the floors seemed to be bustling with egglettes creating and testing new dyes, chocolates, candies, basket weaving techniques, and what appeared to be dirt and bulbs. Jack could only assume that they were trying to make the spring flowers more resistant to the warmer temperatures around the globe. Jack hated the fact that they planet was getting warmer because it made his job a thousand times harder. Have you ever tried to freeze a window when your hoodie seems to be drenched in three gallons of sweat when you just began to work? It's annoying.

"Here ya go." Bunny said as he pulled the kid down onto the couch, letting his chest act as a pillow for the brat to flop against. Jack didn't resist as he was pulled onto the padded surface and rested against the larger rabbit. His body seemed to be way ahead of his mind, relaxing into the dense padding as his shoulders slumped into a calming slouch. Jack tried to listen as Bunny gave orders to his egglettes, but the playful spirit's mind slowly sank into the darkness that was sleep before he could stop himself.


	4. Chapter 4

I just want to say that everyone who reviewed- you guys are amazing! I'm seeing more names I recognize from the Thorki section pop up, and it's really great to see you guys! Shout out to saix-puppy-lover~ glad to see you here, chickadee!

Me no own. Broke college kid just having some fun here. No money made off this what so ever.

Reviews (polite ones, if you don't mind!) are very welcomed here!

* * *

Bunnymund carried the young winter spirit to his temporary arrangement after about three hours of watching the globe spin slowly and ordering the egglettes around. As he laid the smaller rabbit onto the soft, flat surface of the bed, he tried his best not to wake the typically overly hyper winter spirit. Jack needed his rest, and Bunny didn't need an earful from the overly maternal forces of North and Tooth combined. Not that he didn't respect his fellow guardians, but he didn't like to be told what to do when it came to kits. He'd practically raised his own siblings after his mother started to carry her third litter, so he knew what children needed.

As he lifted the light aqua covers over the smaller form, he noted that Jack looked so surreal without his signature blue hoodie. Despite the obvious changes, Jack retained his youthful body type. Bunny could have picked him out of a crowd from a mile away without breaking a sweat. He could still recall that all of his clan members held themselves with a certain grace and strength that the winter spirit seemed to have missed when he gained the ears and fluff. He slouched when he sat, leaned when he stood, and seemed to always require his staff to complete the most standard movements. Jack was nothing like the Pookas he'd grown up with.

As the grey Pooka moved to leave the bedside, he rested a large, terrain-worn paw to the brat's head and brushed the top fluff back. Jack moaned as he snuggled himself into the growing warmth of the blankets, but didn't awake. Bunny smiled to himself as he lifted the paw gently from the brat's head, and moved towards the door.

"Sleep well, Frostbite." Bunny said as he closed the door on the sunlit room as quietly as he could. He didn't waste a moment in getting back to the command center, ordering his egglettes around as he made his way back to his favorite chair.

"Leader," An egglette caught his attention as he plopped down in his chair, brushing the egglettes away from the Greco-Roman bench and back to their typical work.

"Yeah?" Bunny replied, removing his boomerang from his pack and observing the edge with unconvincing interest.

"North sent a message." The egglette said as he handed his leader a note with a Holly red tie around the middle. Bunny grabbed the note and unraveled the parchment.

_-Bunny, _

_ I should let you know that we'll be ready in about ten days. We are having trouble obtaining some of the ingredients for the spell. Somehow, the humans don't like to grow bitter roots anymore! I hope you and Jack have worked things out. _

_-Sincerely, North_

Bunny rolled the note back up and handed back to the egglette, who gripped it with his tiny feet.

"Thank you, Augustus." Bunny said as he waved the carmine red and white egglette away. Augustus bowed to Bunny before taking off down the dirt path towards a tunnel. Bunny placed his furry fingers on his eyebrows and rubbed his temples gently. It wasn't that he didn't like having Jack around (although, he was certain that after the kid got comfortable, his prankster ways would return tenfold), but he was having other issues with this arrangement.

It had been so many years since he'd been left alone, he'd forgotten what it was like to have another Pooka around. So when his body finally came into contact with another Pooka's, instincts started to take over. His urges were reacting to Jack's presence by tensing unexpectedly when they brushed together, and tingling when he tried to remember what to teach the kid about being a Pooka. He couldn't tell if it was because the last time he'd had to teach someone to hop was when Nero, Cato, and Marina were just learning how to use their lanky legs. It pulled him back when Lillithe helped him wrap Nero's scraped leg, and laughed when he decided to flirt with her (managing to get tongue tied while trying to say 'snip').

Lillithe had been the center of his world for his first season. He'd follow her around, helping her with her daily chores and making her laugh, while eventually earning himself a position pressed against her for three hours while they slipped off to the outskirts of their territory. He was certain that no one else mated with her that day- but it didn't matter. Less than month later, their village was burned to the ground by Pitch and an army of angry, religious bound humans demanding that their kind be cast to hell. After he awoke from the noise and confusion of the fire, he buried the bodies he could find, and immediately left. He ran from his problems for nearly two decades until he stumbled across a large, untouched territory. A place where humans were few and reasonable, and the grasslands were plentiful- the land known as Australia. He made it his home, dug a new warren while trying to keep his mind off the massacre. Through years of innovation and hard work, he managed to create the mossy green utopia that supplied Easter to children around the world.

To a degree, Jack brought back so many memories of his old tribe just by being here. Aside from his prankster ways, his new white fluff reminded Bunny of Lillithe's pale yellow fur. She had the lightest fluff in the village, and was considered to be the most beautiful doe (1) of her days. So when Mr. Pearly white showed up unconscious and bruised on the floor of Pitch's lair, he'd almost mistaken the prankster for his old flame. Not that he didn't want to find Jack that day, but it would have been a Godsend to have another permanent Pooka back in the world.

Bunny sat still as he kept his hands tightly pressed to his temple, trying his best to will away the surges of anger, hurt and sadness that always accompanied his guilt trip filled memories. It took Talbion, a golden egg with a white lily painted on his front and back, nudging him with a new report to break his pouting stream.

* * *

Bunny must have fallen asleep in his chair, because it was Jack's gentle shaking that woke him next.

"Wake up, Kangaroo." Jack's jubilant voice came through a fog of sleep, ruffling his mind as he forced his head from its cramped position on his shoulder to stand straight up.

"Hum- a-wha?" Bunny mumbled as he pushed his body upwards, scanning the area for whatever danger had awaken him. When he saw it was just the new Pooka prankster, his ears dropped back down and his shoulders slumped. He rubbed his face generously as circulation returned to his legs.

"Well, someone isn't a morning person." Jack joked, earning him a warning glare from the older immortal.

"Funny, but I just had a rough night." Bunny said as he shoved himself out of his chair. He noted that the egglettes were huddled in a corner to the side of the command center, shivering as if Jack had just awakened some terrifying force of nature.

"What's the matter with them?" Jack asked as he stretched out his good arm and back. Bunny couldn't help but chuckle at the younger rabbit.

"I'm their leader, and I don't think anyone's ever awoken me beside the other guardians and you. They must think I'm cranky, or somethin'." Bunny said as he started to lead Jack towards the gardens. Bunny never bothered to pick his food before he needed it. The flavor from straight off the vine was far better than if you picked it a few days in advance.

Bunny kicked a carrot top out of his way as he entered the dirt patch, motioning to Jack to stay close. His garden was filled with plants that Jack had never seen before- bushes that held huge red orbs underneath spiny leaves and trees with large, yellow spiked fruit forcing their branches to the ground. Jack kept up with Bunny, trying to alternate his vision between the ground and the exotic fruit varieties. Bunny noticed the distracted boy trying not to trample his buried vegetables.

"See somethin' interestin'?" Bunny asked as he leaned down to pluck a carrot from its resting place.

"What are those things?" Jack asked, pointing to the red fruit.

"They're called Miracle Berry. They taste like pure sweet on top of sugar, and you can't taste anything else for hours." Bunny said as he straightened his back and walked back to the younger spirit.

"And the yellow things?" Jack asked, noting that Bunny leaned more towardshis right side before answering his question, a bright smirk placed on his face.

"That's called a Jackfruit." Bunny replied, ruffling his new apprentice's fur.

"Naw! You're makin' that up!" Jack replied, smiling at the rabbit.

"Nope! Elephants like to eat them out in Burma- er… what are they callin' it these days? Vietnam?" Bunny recalled. Jack smiled at the rabbit.

"So do you like them?" Jack inquired, earning himself a odd look from the older Pooka.

"Yeah! It's like alcoholic ice cream." Bunny replied, his own mind wandering off to other possibilities for the answer. He tried not to laugh as a few awkward scenarios brushed through his mind, but ultimately failed as he let a small chortle through.

"Bunny? What's so funny?" Jack laughed as he nudged the rabbit with his good arm.

"Nothin'! Nothin'!" Bunny chuckled as he wrapped a large, heavy arm around the younger man.

"Got another idea for Jackfruit or something?" Jack joked.

"What? Naw- come on! We-we should get some real food in ya!" Bunny said as he slung his pack over his shoulder. The larger rabbit motioned for Jack to follow him back to the palace. Jack, feeling rather bold, kneeled down and pressed his feet into the ground, launching himself from his distant position and landing roughly beside Bunny, tumbling against the ground as his heels flopped over his head. Bunny paused for a moment, not expecting the sudden mishap in movement. As Jack sat up, holding his head and letting his eyes readjust from the crash, Bunny started to chortle. His laughter grew as he padded his way over to Jack and offered a helping hand up.

"Well, at least you're learning how to hop!" Bunny said as he pulled the younger rabbit into a warm, solid chested hug. Jack held onto the grey Pooka as if he would disappear in an instant.

"Ow…" Jack mumbled as he pressed his sore head into the larger rabbit's fluff.

"Did that hurt a little?" Bunnymund coughed as his laughter started to fizzle out. Jack nodded as he felt his body lifted into the strong arms of the larger Pooka.

Jack moaned as the grey Pooka picked him up and headed into the tunnel to go back to the palace. Once they arrived, Bunny placed the headachy rabbit on the Greco-Roman couch as he placed a heavy paw on the dirtied spot in the white fur where Jack had landed on his head. The younger rabbit leaned into the warmth of the paw, nuzzling the grey furred appendage as he sought comfort from the larger rabbit.

"Hey, you'll be alright. Just got a little bumped up." Bunny offered as he brushed the reddish dirt from the previously pristine fur. Jack relinquished a small smile from his slouching position before leaning in and giving the grey rabbit a warm hug. Bunny didn't bother to pull the smaller Pooka away from his body, but sat down beside the fluff ball.

"Bunny…" Jack said as he was pulled down on the couch, Bunny making him use his muscular thigh as a perfect pillow. Bunny reached for his pack and pulled out a few of the carrots, sticking one in his mouth as he poked one towards Jack's small muzzle.

"Eat up, your head will feel better in a fly's age." Bunny said as he relaxed onto the couch. The grey Pooka's hand absentmindedly brushed the kid's fur, slowly petting the back of his neck and head as they ate. Jack didn't oppose the motion, but rather slumped into the warmth of Bunny.

"Hey Bunny?" Jack finally asked as he curled around the larger rabbit's frame, partially hanging off the couch as he gripped the Pooka like his last lifeline.

"Hum?" Bunny replied, swallowing his list bite of carrot as he ceased his absentminded hand from its menstruations.

"I… I had a nightmare." Jack replied. Bunny's ears shot up as he threw his body from its lounging position and into an alert stance. Bunny grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pulled him close so their faces were only a few inches away from one another.

"Pitch was here?!" Bunny demanded, trying his best not the hurt the kid, but expressing a measure of distress from Pitch's invasion (despite how minor it may have been) and worry for Jack's safety. If Pitch could slink into his warren right under nose, then there was a good chance he could grab Jack and destroy anything he'd prepared for Easter.

"B-Bunny, I came and got you- didn't I? I woke you up right after it happened!" Jack replied as his ears drooped and his eyes widened in fear. Bunny, suddenly aware of what he was doing, relaxed his hold on the younger rabbit and pulled him into a hug. Jack, still tense from the sudden outburst from his elder, gripped the larger rabbit's fur with a white knuckled grip.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry. He won't get to you again." Bunny said as he held his nose to the top of Jack's head, taking in the scent of the scared Pooka. Jack nuzzled Bunnymund's fur in response, not finding the words to say.

"Unicum-" Bunny called. A large, reddish gold egglette came forward to receive his leader's orders.

"Yes, sir?" Unicum said as he came to Bunny's side. Bunny didn't release Jack as he turned his head towards the egglette.

"Take Jack back to my room and stay with him until I arrive." Bunny ordered, slowly unraveling the white Pooka from his arms and giving him a small nudge towards the egglette.

"Yes, Sir." Unicum replied as he started to lead Jack to Bunny's chambers. If nothing else, Bunny could be certain that Jack would be safe in his room.

"The rest of ya'!" Bunny ordered, gaining all the egglettes attention. They scattered as he released a deep-chested sigh, rubbing his temples again as they finally lined up in front of him.

"Alright- spit it out. What happened last night?" Bunny asked as he stood up to his full height. A plain red egg stepped forward to speak.

"Sir-" The egglette started.

"Name?" Bunny demanded. He'd created so many egglettes over the years, he didn't always recall each one's name.

"Fusilier, sir." The egglette replied.

"What happened to the security last night?" Bunny demanded.

"Around three, the lockdown spells dissolved for only a moment. We sent out operatives to check everything, but they found nothing amiss in the warren. We stopped looking around five this morning." Fusilier responded. Bunny nodded as he raised a thoughtful hand to his chin.

"Alright. Do a quick survey while Montreux gets another round of spells together. If all hell breaks loose, I'll be in my chambers with Jack." Bunny dismissed the egglettes to pad his way back to the large bedroom he called home.

Upon arrival, he saw that Jack had made himself rather at home on his favorite reading chair. The white rabbit was curled against the back of the plush, oversized recliner; so Bunny walked over to his charge and gently nudged him from his sleeping position.

"Hey there, snowball." Bunny said as he reached into his pack and retrieved a bottle of painkillers. Bunny removed two of the tablets and approached Jack, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to pull the kid closer. Jack, still bleary from the day so far, looked towards Bunny and took the pills without question. Bunny was going to grab a glass of water, but Jack swallowed the pills without question.

"Thanks." Jack muttered as he started to snuggle back down into the chair, only to be grabbed by the larger rabbit and carried over to the overly large bed. Bunny placed the snow white rabbit under the gentle green covers that welcomed the small form of the Pooka into their warm folds.

"You need to rest, and in a few hours you'll feel better." Bunny said as he wrapped the warm velveteen coverings around the small rabbit. Jack reached out as Bunny started to smooth the covers of his bed around the younger Pooka's form, gripping his wrist with the strength of a tiny baby to his mother's hair. Bunny looked to the younger male, confused temporarily.

"S-Stay with me? Please?" Jack begged as he averted his gaze for only a moment, fighting against the painkillers somniferous effects with everything he had. Bunny smiled at the winter spirit, the adorable scene playing before him like an old memory that had been abandoned out of crushing pain and striving for personal peace.

"Sure, Frostbite. Just let me get cleaned up. Still got yesterday on me." Bunny said as he brushed his sleep flattened fur out. Jack offered an exhausted smile before resting his head on the plush blue pillows. Bunny went to the washroom and rinsed off before shaking his fur free of the water droplets and toweling off. He reentered the room to find Jack had spun around to face the other side of the bed. Smirking with the knowledge that he could tease the kid about this later, he climbed into the other side of the bed and rested a hand on top of the brat's side. If nothing else, it would offer him a chance to know that the kid was safe. At best, it would tell him if Jack was having another nightmare at Pitch's expense.

For a moment, right before sleep took the grey Pooka into its wings, Bunny could have sworn he heard Lillithe's voice wishing him good night.

* * *

1) Since I don't know what a Pooka clan/species would refer to their women as, I'm just gonna stick with male and female here. Not venturing out on that branch to be shot!

Edit: Fixed now thanks to my wonderful reviewers!

Overall note: The egglettes are named after breeds of tulip! Fusilier, Unicum and Montreux are all breed of tulip, but they are all members of the same species of flower genetically. Kinda cool, huh?


	5. Chapter 5

Just a side note before we begin: Pookas are a 6 foot tall rabbit (that Jack got turned into by Pitch). From what some peeps on the net are saying, they originally came from Scottish lore, so I'm running with that. I got some notes about a tiny bit of confusion around that idea, so I wanted to fix it. So, Jack's a four and a half foot tall mini Pooka (ears not included).

Edit: I looked it up on the Dreamworks wiki and the Guardians promotion page after a reviewer told me to check, and the studio staff (or whoever moderates it) calls Bunny a Pooka. So unless they change it in the next few weeks, i'll stick with what the creators call him.

Sorry about this chapter in advance, my time is limited (thank you exam schedule). Will be back after my final in Biochem- Dec 10th. So feel free to reread or go explore my other works if you're bored, or check out some other fic writers. Lots of cool people out there. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love my reviewers!

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Bunny awoke only two hours after he'd bedded down with the young buck. He thought it was just his imagination at first, but immediately rolled his shoulders over to find that Fusilier had come to wake him by poking him in the arm with her little leg.

"Sorry to wake you sir, but we've found something." Fusilier whispered as she tried not to wake the resting winter spirit. Bunny nodded for her to continue, carefully untangling himself from Jack's lanky form without waking the ball of fluff.

"What'd ya find?" Bunny whispered as he slid his feet out of bed, meeting the cold floor with a shiver as he rubbed his ears free of the warmth of bed. He wasn't used to resting in the middle of the day, but it was a nice change of pace. He took a long look at Jack before exiting the bed, smoothing to covers only slightly so Jack wouldn't think he'd left in a hurry. With any luck, he'd be back in bed before the prankster woke.

"Alright, spill." Bunny said as he closed the bedroom door behind him, keeping it cracked just enough to keep an eye on Jack.

"We found nightmare sand and a Nightmare out by the western flower beds. We managed to destroy the Nightmare, but the sand fluttered off into the tunnels before we could get it. Montreux and Angelique are placing more protective spells at all tunnels going in or out of the Warren. Some of the flowers are dead, but they'll recover by next week." Fusilier reported. Bunny yawned and rubbed his head to fluff out his sleep flattened fur, nodding as he listened to the egglette talk.

"No other signs or damage?" Bunny asked, trying to make sure all of his questions were answered so he wouldn't forget anything before climbing back into the warmth of his bed with the only other Pooka in existence.

"None outside the globe, sir." Fusilier said. Bunny glanced up at the egglette with curiosity and bleariness swimming in his eyes, and then lifted his leg to scratch out a itch on the side of his face.

"The globe room?" Bunny asked.

"We've seen some black sand swirling on the globe for the past two hours. It seems benign, but Zurel and Burning Heart are gathering the spells for the purge." Fusilier confessed, fearing the wrath of Bunny for not telling him sooner.

"What's it doing up there?" Bunny growled in stress filled aggression.

"It's- uh- It's just there. Been spinning for a while, but it doesn't do anything." Fusilier said as Bunny tromped off towards the globe room, hoping to make this quick. He didn't like leaving Jack alone for more than a few minutes.

"Status." Bunny growled as he entered the globe room. Egglettes jumped out of the way as he made his way towards the center computer, where they were clamoring over the consoles.

"Under control. The sand is not interfering with the globe, but the spells should be ready in less than an hour." Sweetheart said as she punched buttons with her tiny feet. Bunny placed his large paws on the computer, ready to override anything that went wonky when the spells hit. Surely enough, the blue and green magic gathered around the consol after about ten minutes of orders volleying between egglettes and the rabbit, causing it to shake violently as the magic penetrated his globe. The black sand screeched as the protection spells burned the grains into dust.

"Is it gone?" Bunny inquired.

"It seems to be, sir." Fusilier replied. A terrified yell echoed down the hall from Bunny's room.

"JACK!" Bunny yelled as he spun on one foot, tearing down the tunnel, flinging dirt from the walls where his feet tore into the earth.

"Gah!" Jack's voice came from behind his bedroom door, making the rabbit slam open the carved wooden door with all his strength. He saw Jack thrashing against the covers, terrified of an invisible force that was overtaking his mind.

"Jack! Jack! Wake up! Please wake up, mate!" Bunny yelled as he shook the younger rabbit, trying his best not to leave bruises on the already scuffed up youngster.

"Gah! Get off! Get away from me!" Jack screamed in his fitful slumber. Bunnymund couldn't awaken the young buck, but Fusilier came through with an unusual solution. She pushed a vase of cut flowers over to the bed and tipped it over without Bunnymund even noticing, thoroughly drenching both Pookas and causing the younger rabbit to awaken with a startle.

"Gah… Jack- Jack… blimey mate, you scared me." Bunny said as he pulled the sopping wet mess of stressed out Pooka into his arms, holding him tightly against the broad chest. Jack, still trying to catch his breath, gripped Bunny's soaked fur and held him tightly. The smaller of the two shivered against the other's form, and Bunny wouldn't have said anything if the kid started to cry. He seemed absolutely terrified of the dream that racked his mind.

"B-Bunny." Jack mumbled against the wet fur. Aster held the kid even tighter, pressing his nose into the fluff on the top of his charge's head. He rocked Jack slightly as he tried to calm both of them down, fearful that the kid's fit might have knocked some of his injuries back out of place.

"Jack, let me see your arm." Bunny said quietly. Jack untangled himself from the safe warmth of Bunny to allow the older buck to see his bandaged appendage. Aster took the arm with gentle fingers, brushing them up the wrappings to see if anything came loose. When he felt nothing amiss, he released the younger Pooka and grabbed the large blanket, wrapping it around both of them to keep Jack as close as possible.

"Bunny-" Jack mumbled again. Bunny pressed his body against the younger buck and pressed his nose into the warm fluff on the top of Jack's head.

"Yeah, kid?" Bunny replied.

"I'm- I'm scared." Jack answered. Bunny looked down at the trembling mess that was once the proud prankster.

"What are you scared of?" Bunny asked, much like he would ask his siblings when they were small. This brought back so many memories; Bunny was having trouble shoving them to the back of his mind and stay with the situation.

"I- I dreamed you guys left me alone again…" Jack said, burying his head into the blankets and leaving just enough of his ears peaking out of the covers to hear properly.

"Jack… You don't need to be afraid of that." Bunny started slowly. He pulled the kid down onto the bed, rubbing his large paws over the kids' smaller frame, offering what comfort they would.

"But-but what if I screw up again?" Jack whimpered. Bunny never knew the kid was so afraid of being alone.

"Hey-hey. We aren't leaving you. We made that mistake once, and Pitch got ya'. Ya' earned your place as a guardian, and no one can take that away from ya'. You stood up to Pitch, and even helped us when we turned our backs on ya'. Jack, no one's letting ya' go again. You're too strong to lose, mate. We need you. We need you here, with us- as part of a family. Don't let the old boogeyman scare ya' into thinkin' we'd be that stupid again." Bunny said slowly, letting the tremors ease from the younger spirit's body as he found comfort in Bunny's words. Jack's head found its way from Bunny's chest up to his shoulder, resting gently in the crook of his neck as the grey Pooka whispered sweet nothings into his newly elongated ears.

"It's ok. It's ok. Just relax. Bunny's here now. That old nightmare won't get to you again. Not while Bunny's here." Bunny cooed, knowing that Jack was already slipping back into the realm of sleep. Bunny carefully reached around the kid to retrieve a bag of golden sand from his top most bedside table drawer. He carefully sprinkled some on the youngster's head, letting Jack fall back into the cozy realm of dreams.

"Leader?" Fusilier whispered. Bunny hadn't noticed the smart female egglette was still occupying the space on the windowsill.

"Fusilier?" Bunny asked, wonderment lacing his voice as he inquired the egglette's name on his tongue.

"Do you want me to close the door on the way out?" She asked. If she had a real mouth, Bunny swore he would have seen a smile. He nodded to the egglette, motioning to her to close the blinds before she left to allow the weary rabbit pair to rest peacefully. She bowed to her master, as all the egglettes did when they were sent on a mission, before starting for the door.

"Oh, and Fusilier?" Bunny whispered, trying his best not to wake the Pooka entangled in his arms again. Fusilier stopped and turned back to the pair.

"Good work today. Make sure the defenses are tight, and keep up the good work." Bunny said as he rested his head beside the prankster.

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Late into the evening, Jack finally awoke from his dust and stress induced slumber. Bunny had woken up about twelve minutes before the youngster had, so he was already sitting up in bed, reading some of his old gardening books. Jack didn't move from his position for a few minutes, but preferred to take in the warmth of the large paw on his turned back.

"You don't have to pretend." Bunny said as he flipped a page with one finger, the book balanced on his lap. Jack turned his stiff neck towards the larger Pooka, taking a slow, deep inhale as he made his ridged body loosen. The sensational lightning that bloomed through his spine made Jack shiver against the warmth of the heavy blankets.

"It feels good…" Jack said as he curled his well stretched legs against the older buck. Bunny placed a large paw on his new charge's head, petting it down to his floppy ears without a glance from his book. Jack had to admire the feeling of being guarded from the world and all its evils. For the first time in three hundred years, Jack felt like he didn't need to have his ears on high alert for the smallest of sounds to wake him. He could rest without worrying about a Nightmare or oddball ghost with a penchant for annoying more powerful spirits to rock him from his tree cradle.

"You feelin' any better?" Bunny asked as he flipped another page.

"Yeah." Jack said as he brushed his pink nose against the grey fluff of Bunny's chest.

"You had one hell of a nightmare. I wasn't sure you were gonna wake before dinner time." Bunny said as he placed a leaf between the pages he was reading and closed the book.

"What time is it?" Jack yawned.

"Around dinner time." Bunny said as he scooted himself over to the side of the bed, stretching his legs out as he pushed himself off the comfy surface.

"Good. I'm hungry." Jack said as Bunny led him out of the bedroom and down to the control center.

"How's your arm?" Bunny asked as he tossed the kid a few carrots. Jack didn't seem to mind the all vegetable diet, but Bunny was starting to worry about the kid's needs. Jack was no rabbit, and he might need different stuff to get his body to heal. In theory, since he was mammal, Jack shouldn't have a problem healing with an all greens diet. But theory rarely ever worked out in nature.

"Feeling pretty nice. I have you to thank for that, Kangaroo." Jack joked as he fell next to the larger Pooka on the couch. Bunny shoved a carrot in his mouth to prevent his pride filled smirk from peering over the orange root. He could hear Jack munching on his food with the vigor of a starving man.

"Bunny?" Jack asked after a few minutes of chewing on the vegetables and watching the egglettes run around, and occasionally into bumping one another or turning themselves upside down.

"Yeah, Snowball?" Bunny said, his tone blank and his eyes focused on his carrot nub.

"I like your bed." Jack admitted, not looking directly into the eyes of his current keeper.

"Really? Why?" Bunny laughed.

"I don't know…." Jack admitted. Bunny nearly choked on the bit of celery he was chewing on as it slipped down his throat. He slammed his fist into his chest, dislodging the offending bit of vegetable from his esophagus.

"Ya- well, uh- Why…" Bunny stuttered, rubbing his head as he tried to focus on what to say next. He had to confess; he felt calmer knowing the kid was near when he rested this afternoon.

"I just- I don't…" Jack released a heavy sigh as he rolled over on his other side, still averting his bright blue gaze from the emerald eyes of the elder Pooka.

"You don't..?" Bunny provoked, nudging the kid in an attempt to bluff with the prankster. He didn't think he'd get an answer, but a smile from Jack was worth a lot more than an answer at times.

"I don't have nightmares when I'm with you guys." Jack said. Bunny's lungs were suddenly devoid of air as his chest tightened. He wasn't expecting such a reply from the typically light hearted and nerves of steel teenager. This was a kid who could ride the wind and dove thousands of feet in the air every day for fun. Jack, of all people, shouldn't be having nightmares.

"You- You don't have nightmares?" Bunny asked as he tossed off the carrot nub in his hand.

"Yeah. Funny huh?" Jack mumbled, a slightly rosier pink darkening his nose as he flopped his ears in front of his face in mock shame.

"Not at all. After all ya been through, it's only natural that some nightmares would come along. But…" Bunny rubbed his ears, causing them to tip forward a bit as he rubbed them.

"So… can I stay with you tonight?" Jack asked as his pleading gaze returned to the rabbit. Bunny used to have a no tolerance policy about kids sleeping in his bed (with an exception for thunderstorms), but found himself at a loss for logical thinking as his lips replied without his acknowledgement.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

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Review, and I'll try to type more during a break from studying. See you guys nex- *** **buried under large pile of falling books * -gah… help? Please? Anyone?


	6. Chapter 6

Hope you guys like this chapter! My brain kinda fried, so Jack's a little bit sappy here. Cute sappy. Thanks to all my reviewers and watchers! I love you guys!

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Two days had passed since the break in the warren's security, and Bunny was still on high alert. He refused to let the young buck out of his sight for more than a few minutes, and his ears wouldn't stop twitching when the brat was away. He prayed that this never got back to the other three guardians, but knowing his luck, that wasn't likely. For a rabbit, he was certainly unlucky when he tried hide personal secrets. But sure as the day was long, Sandy decided to pop by for a visit while he was on his rounds in the Warren.

"You know, you could 'o called or something before poppin' by." Bunny said as he sat down and readjusted his pack onto his shoulder. Sandy's silent arrival scared him out of his skin, almost causing the Pooka to fall into the green dye pool below them. Sandy simply mimed a chuckle before creating a Jack shaped sand figure above his head.

"Him? Oh, he's good. Seems to be healin' up well enough." Bunny said as he leaned forward onto his knees. Sandy mimed another figure of Pitch above his head.

"The old horror story tried to get in. Only ended up givin' Frostbite a nightmare. We've been beddin' down together since then. North will have my hide if anything happens to that lil' brumby." Bunny replied, taking out a boomerang and thumbing the edge of the wooden weapon. Sandy's golden dust went ballistic, forming shapes so quickly, Bunny couldn't keep up with the mime's questions.

"Hold up, hold up! I can't tell what you're yappin'!" Bunny yelped as he tried to take in all the questions. Sandy huffed out duel plumes of sand from his ears, making Bunny chuckle in response.

"Sorry, mate. But you do talk fast when you're excited." Bunny said as he ruffled the Sandman's hair, only gaining a quick batting away from the other guardian.

"Now, let's try this again." Bunny said as he tucked his boomerang away, giving the golden guardian his full attention.

Sandy slowly formed an image of Jack and what appeared to be his bed. Ignoring the fact that a friend would know what his bedroom looked like (he was the Sandman after all), he chuckled at the question.

"I'm alright with it. As long as the little snowflake doesn't complain, I ain't booting him. 'Sides, Pitch'll have a harder time gettin' to him if I'm there." Bunny said as he ruffled his head fur.

Sandy quietly laughed at the six foot tall rabbit, making said rabbit very uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's not like that!" Bunny said, his ears falling back as he attempted to hide his embarrassment.

Sandy conjured an image of the new Pooka snuggled tightly against the form of Bunnymund, complete with his armor still on, lounging on a patch of grass with his foot propped against a sentinel egg. Bunny, recognizing the setting from his dreams the previous evening, blushed so furiously that his nose changed colors.

"I-I- SHUT UP!" Bunny said as he threw a wad of grass at the smaller man. Sandy threw up another image, teasing the Pooka with flashing images of Jack and Bunny eating, resting, and painting eggs together.

"Oh, give it a rest, ya gumby!" Bunny growled, tossing another handful of grass at the now fleeing Sandy. Sandy turned for a moment and smiled at the rabbit before carefully crafting an image of the new Pooka gently hugging the larger rabbit.

"What are you tryin' ta say?" Bunny said as his turned his head to the side inquisitively.

Sandy poofed up the same image again, but this time, animated it enough to get the small rabbit to nuzzle the larger one.

"Oh na- na na na" Bunny mumbled as his chest sank into his stomach. He should have seen this coming, but not so soon. Jack, in his loneliness from three hundred years of being ignored and passed by, must have sought some sort of kinship with the other guardians. To be honest, the idea of Jack falling for one of them was expected, but Bunny thought it would have been Tooth. She was like a mother to the group, so she was the most obvious choice, but clearly Jack felt something more for Bunny.

"Sandy, you can see in his dreams. How seriously is Jack thinkin' about this?" Bunny asked. Sandy threw up an image of Jack painting eggs with the larger rabbit.

"So… not too much?" Bunny guessed tentatively. Sandy shrugged before throwing up an image of Jack snuggling into bed with his current jailer, happy as a bug in a rug.

"Yeah, yeah, I get that. But like a brother or like…" Bunny inquired as he motioned to the Sand man with hands flipping over each other. Sandy, picking up on Bunny's odd question, laughed at the man with silent jubilee. He shook his head, showing a dust cloud shaped like Bunny and Jack standing side by side- brothers. Bunny flopped back down onto his patch of grass, smirking with great relief. He was getting too old to fret over the inclination of younglings. But then, a terrible prank came to his mind.

"Hey, Sandy, can I get you to plant something in Jack's dreams for me?" Bunny asked as he felt his friend approaching him again. Sandy gave the rabbit an odd look before agreeing to help with the idea.

"I need you to give Jack a dream that has me as a human. Let his mind play with it. I just wanna see where it goes. I had to get a few minutes away from him to get my sanity back, but he's over by the palace- should be in the music garden." Bunny jokingly told him as Sandy, still rather confused, nodded with a smile. But before he left to seek out the youngster, he turned to the Pooka king, who had just lain back down in the tall grass. Carefully aiming, he launched a golden dust ball straight into the rabbit's head. As soon as the snores started, Sandy did a little happy dance and took off for the Easter king's palace.

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Sandy found Jack lounging in the music garden, tapping a few musical tulips with his left foot. Sandy, carefully crafting the perfect bands of golden sand to orchestrate the humorous dream, started to slide the stream between the blades of grass. It slithered it way up to Jack's head, gently sneaking under his ears and infiltrating the white Pooka's fur. Jack's quiet slumbering breath started a lazy rhythm, letting the Sandman relax as he went over to see the smaller Pooka. He watched his work in action as the golden strands began an elaborate display of two human figures. They mock-fought, wrestled, and seemed to just enjoy each other's company at first- just as Sandy had designed this special dream to do. But now came the juicy part-

Jack's mind took over, allowing him to interact with the dream sand humanized Bunnymund. His dream form grabbed the larger man's shoulders, hauling himself upwards into the chest of the dream sand man. Before Bunny could push him off, Jack's form pushed his nose upwards against the other form's ear and whispered something. Whatever it was, it made Bunny drop Jack like a burning coal. Jack's form landed on the ground with a thud, and suddenly, the golden dream sand turned dark as night. Sandy, unsure if he should interfere, waited for a moment.

Jack's form curdled into itself on the ground of the dream, shivering in fear as the Bunnymund man yelled at him silently, storming out of the dream. Jack's tiny, trembling form seemed to be-

Sandy remembered that the real Jack was right below him, and looked down to see the small Pooka fitfully thrashing in his dream-

No. This was now a nightmare.

Sandy flew the Jack's side, banishing the black sand with a wave of his hand. He could have sworn he heard the distance echo of Pitch's laughter, but chose to ignore it for the time being. He had much more important matters to attend to than the Boogeyman.

Sandy shook Jack as hard as he could, at one point even shoving his shoulder into the young buck's side. Jack finally awoke with a startle, gripping the grass as he gasped for air.

"Wha-I-huh?" Jack terrified voice coughed out of his throat. Sandy lifted his hands to the white rabbit's face and tried to calm him, gently caressing the huffing Pooka's ears as he pulled Jack into a hug.

Before they could part, the quickened pace of well traveled Pooka feet hitting the ground reached their ears.

"JACK!" Bunnymund's voice came over the hills. Still trembling, Jack untangled himself from Sandy's death grip on his head and looked up to see Bunny sliding down the grassy hill to land next to the pair.

"Bunny?" Jack hushed as he reached up to the rabbit, who gladly obliged. Bunny pulled the smaller Pooka into his lap and cradled him much like a parent would cradle a youngster who'd just had their worst nightmare. Jack broke down as he huddled into the larger rabbit.

"It's ok. It's ok. Bunny's here." Bunny reassured as he ran his furry paw over the fluffy ears tucked under his chin. Jack let silent tears spill over his eyelids, gripping the larger rabbit's chest with every ounce of strength he could manage.

"Bunny- shit." Jack swore as he wiped the embarrassing tears away from his eyes. He was Jack Frost after all. If he cried then-

Snow started to fall in the Warren, and for once, Bunny didn't care if all the plants froze.

"I'm sorry." Jack mumbled. Bunny shook his head over and over, trying to dispel the worries of the youngster.

"Naw, mate. I'm the one who's sorry. I told Sandy to give you that dream as a prank. I didn't think that would happen." Bunny said as he held the young buck tightly to his chest. Sandy must have wanted Bunny to have a front row seat without having to be near the younger rabbit.

"But- But your plants." Jack said as the snow let up. He tried to reach out and brush some of the white powder off of a tulip, but Bunny stopped him with a large hand over the smaller, white covered furry one.

"Naw. They'll be fine. They can take a bit of cold without a worry." Bunny reassured. He eased up on the smaller rabbit's form, gathering him into a ball and starting to walk back inside the palace. Sandy, fearful that Pitch was still around, started to mime images left and right. Sadly, he was ignored as the pair of rabbits dove back into the safe, dark warmth of the Easter palace.

Sending out duel plumes of angry dream sand, Sandy gathered his dust and flew back towards the golden opening in the top of the Warren. He carefully cast another protection spell on the main entrance, making sure that the entire place was covered. Before turning to leave, he wondered if Jack would be alright.

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"Jack?" Bunny said as he wrapped a large blanket around the kid. Jack looked up at the larger rabbit with sore, red eyes.

"I didn't mean to make it snow." Jack mumbled.

"Mate, it's alright. I'm sorry for the prank. I-I didn't think ya'd have a nightmare like that. Care ta tell me 'bout it?" Bunny asked, genuinely concerned for the young buck's well being. Jack took a few deep breathes and looked back to the larger Pooka.

"I dreamed you left me." Jack admitted. Bunny's ears sprung up in confusion.

"Me? Or us?" Bunny inquired.

"Just you this time." Jack replied, nuzzling into the warmth of Bunny's chest.

"Daw, mate. I'd never leave you. Who'd I argue with if my Jack rabbit wasn't around?" Bunny joked, trying his best to lighten the kid up. It earned him a sad smile from the youngster, gladly accompanied by a hug around his torso. Bunny pulled the winter spirit back onto the couch as he tried his best to comfort the kid.

North might very well have his hide for this incident alone. But curiosity was still on his side. What did Jack whisper to him?

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Please review here politely if you don't mind!


	7. Chapter 7

Whew! What a week! I love you guys! Your reviews totally made my week! Anyways, thanks for reading and feel free to review politely! I don't own Dreamworks- Katsenburg does. So I make no money off this. It's purely free entertainment! Note me if something's missing or wrong, please~

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The fifth day came with a slow start. Normally, the Pookas would be bounding with energy when they awoke, but this morning felt more like the kind of day spent laying in bed, talking. Bunny didn't mind, after all, his time with Jack had made him fonder of the younger man. He was starting to like the idea of Jack being stuck as another member of his species, if only to have someone to talk to. Jack seemed more than eager to explore the remainder of the Warren when Tooth's fairy zipped up to the rabbit's nose. Bunny tried to listen to the chattering feathered friend, but she was talking too fast.

"Hold your horses! Slow it up a bit! I can't hear what you're sayin'!" Bunny yelped as Jack pounced ahead of them, oblivious to the larger rabbit's situation. The small fairy did a small backflip before pointing to Jack and drawing a snowflake in the air in front of her. Bunny nodded, listening intently as the small fairy described North and the number one. Bunny took a moment to assimilate the information before realizing the fairy meant that North's spell would be ready in another day. His heart shot up for Jack, knowing that the smaller Pooka would be thrilled to have his havoc wreaking powers back, but a small part of him felt regret as well.

Wait.

No. No, he wasn't happy that Jack was getting his powers back. Jack had become _his_ Jack. Not just the trickster that annoyed the ever living daylights on occasion, but the smiling face that he came home to each day. The brat he shared jokes with, told stories to, and relaxed into bed with each night. Bunny had missed that feeling of having someone waiting for him when he got home from his rounds for so many years, this tiny lick of attention from someone that shared his traits and could stay with him-

No. No. Jack wouldn't want to be held down here.

His body betrayed him as he tried to calm his racking nerves, tensing and relaxing with the ideas of Jack and him spending not time together. His subconscious must have been screaming with ideas of what his new little brother could do, perhaps only because this was the first being that he could have a real relationship with in over five hundred years. Jack, the pest that made his life insane back in the day, was now his only hope for ever having some semblance of a family. Given, it wouldn't have kids or a white picket fence, but it would be something. Maybe the king of Hope wasn't ready to fork over that ideal yet.

The tiny fairy's hand came to Bunny's paw, which now covered his face. He hadn't even realized he was having the mother of all freak outs in front of the tiny fairy, but her tiny smile seemed to speak worlds about how he felt at the moment. Bunny cupped the flittering creature in his hands, trying not to break down while the fairy was so close.

He had to push his feelings aside as he heard the now recognizable thumping of Jack's hopping approaching. He straightened his ears and released the small fairy before Jack rounded the corner.

"Hey, Bunny, what's the hold up?" Jack asked before he saw the mini Tooth. He greeted the small fairy, who ogled him like a teenage girl would coo over a celebrity.

"Nothin'. Nothin', mate. Just havin' a talk with Tooth's fairy here. She says North will be ready in a day. Think you're ready to have your powers back?" Bunny asked, his heart sinking at the expected response. Certainly Jack was ready to get the hell out of his Warren, and start freezing fish bowls again.

"Well, kinda." Jack replied as he reached behind his head and pulled an ear forward to play with the floppy appendage. Bunny's ears perked up at the response.

"Wha'dda mean?" Bunny inquired. Jack flopped his body down on the sweet grass, still playing with his ear. He refused to look at the elder Pooka until Bunnymund sat beside him and placed a heavy paw on his shoulder. Jack turned to the larger buck and smiled as Bunny rubbed his thumb into the younger buck's shoulder.

"I-I-" Jack took a deep sigh as he tried to relax his body.

"It's ok, mate. I won't judge ya'." Bunny said as he made sure the smaller Pooka felt loved.

"I want my powers back… but I don't want to leave yet." Jack said as he gripped his captured ear in fear.

"Wha? Don't ya wanna go be Jack Frost again?" Bunny said as he pulled his hand back.

"Well, yeah, but I really like spending time with you." Jack said as he pushed his body against the larger Pooka's. Bunny didn't hesitate to pull the youngster into his lap, rushing to wrap his arms around the smaller form.

"I really liked havin' ya' around, Frostbite. I'm sure we can manage some time together. After all, not every day can be Easter, right?" Bunny offered with a half hearted chuckle.

"Yeah, and I can't make it snow every day. That would throw off Mother, and she'd have a fit." Jack laughed back, his chuckle dry and unfulfilling.

"Well, why don't' we spend the last day together havin' fun?" Bunny offered. Jack nodded as he shoved his body against the larger rabbit, nudging his chin against the larger Pooka.

Bunny let out a small moan of surprise, not expecting the smaller Pooka to make such a move- but also expecting the young buck didn't know what that motion meant. Against his better judgment, Bunny carefully leaned against the young buck, checking to make sure the brat was actually here and this wasn't some wild dream. When Jack didn't poof into a dragon or turn into Lillith, he carefully leaned forwards and rubbed his chin on the prankster. Jack seemed to enjoy the contact, and Bunny would never say a damn word about this to the other guardians.

The next morning came too soon, waking Bunny with an unwelcomed sense of dread. He only had a few hours to prepare for Jack's leaving, and he was still battling the emotional roller coaster inside his heart. He looked down at the resting buck in his arms, where Jack had nestled himself for many nights before, and watched the rising and falling of his chest with the appreciation of an old fine art fan viewing the entire works of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rapheal, and Botticelli, collected in one gallery and reserved just for their eyes alone. He didn't wake Jack, but managed to slide his muscular arm from underneath the kid's torso without disturbing him. He reached over to his bedside drawer and carefully slid the well oiled furniture's chamber open. He removed a small jar from the inside and removed its lid. Inside was a very special, very old mixture of bright blue paint. Bunny never thought he would have to use this mix again, but he never thought he'd meet another Pooka for the rest of his immortal existence.

Leaning over to Jack, Bunny wiped a finger through the paint, taking just enough of it to accomplish the job. He noted that the mix had dried over the years, but he'd deal with that later. With the caution of a hunter about to shoot a deer, Bunny touched his finger to the young buck's head and carefully crafted a small, blue floral sign on the kid's forehead. It wasn't nearly as elaborate as Bunny's markings, but Bunny's were intended to show dominance in the tribe. Jack was just a kid, and as he grew, he would gain more markings to note his accomplishments.

Jack's eyelids shot started to pry themselves open as Bunny's finger left his face. Bunny tucked the pot away, making sure it's lid was on. Last thing he needed was tattoo paint dripping all over his nice furniture.

* * *

"Mornin' Frostbite." Bunny said as he pulled the kid close to his chest. He was going to miss the brat taking up the space in his bed. For a winter spirit, Jack kept the bed nice and warm.

"Mornin' Kangaroo!" Jack said as he rubbed his head under Bunny's chin. Out of the decency of his heart, Bunny swore he'd never tell Jack what that move meant in their species language. However, since this was his last day, Bunny wouldn't have to worry too much about Jack doing anything too embarrassing. Though he had to admit, he had missed his odd nickname.

"So, ready to head off to North's?" Bunny asked as he shoved the kid back and pulled himself out of the bed. Jack performed a cat like stretch before rolling himself over to the side of the bed and sitting up.

"Yeah. When should we leave?" Jack asked.

"Oh, well- you should go in about an hour. They should be ready for you there." Bunny said as he placed his armor on his forearms. He told himself that this was for the best. Jack was a big boy, and he didn't need a bunny babysitter to escort him to North's. Besides, it would just be really sad anyways.

"Wait- You're not coming with me?" Jack inquired, a hurt tone painting the younger male's voice. Bunny didn't want to turn around because he knew his collapsing resolve would only fall faster if he did.

"Nah. I got a lot to catch up on here, and you don't need me there. It's just a spell anyways. Not like you're havin' a kid." Bunny replied as he turned towards the door and started walking. He heard Jack throw himself off the bed in a huff.

"But what if I want you there?" Jack barked, hurt still lacing his tone. Bunny turned to see an unraveled Jack, fur ruffled and unruly pouncing in all directions.

"Well, I'd still say no. You have to be there in a few minutes, Jack." Bunny insisted.

"So what? All this? This was all nothing to you? All the- the fun we had and the games we played? All the nights together? Was that nothing to you?!" Jack cried as he stomped his foot. Bunny's resolve shattered into anger and hurt. He grabbed the younger buck and pulled him to his chest, crushing Jack in a tight hug. Jack couldn't find any words to say as he rubbed his nose into the larger rabbit's fur.

"Nah, mate. I-" He sighed quickly. "I just can't see ya go. But we'll always have this. This was our time. And who knows, maybe at the next change of seasons, we can have some time together. Just… just not now." Bunny whispered in his ear before pulling the kid away from his chest and pressing a small kiss on his forehead. Jack didn't seem to understand right away , but didn't protest.

"I'm still your Jackrabbit, right?" Jack asked as tiny tears formed in his eyes. Bunny wouldn't call the kid out on it, but he knew the brat would be upset over losing a big brother figure.

"Always."

* * *

Jack arrived at Santoff Klassen through the offered tunnel, plunging his feet into the snow with a hearty thud. He took one look back at the tunnel and smiled to himself before plodding towards the snowy hideout. As he passed a highly reflective ice wall, Jack turned to look at himself for a moment. Something was on his forehead, so he wiped at the marking. When he pulled his hand away, nothing had come off. He wiped the ice with his other hand to get a clearer image, only to see the marking on his forehead. He stared at himself for a few minutes before slowly pacing his way towards the workshop. He was escorted in by Phil and another yeti, who he'd seen before when he was getting tossed out through the second story window.

"Jack, my boy!" North's booming voice came over the hustle and bustle of the workshop. Jack looked at the larger man with an air of gloom.

"North…" He replied.

"Come- come, my boy. We have spell ready! You can have your powers back in no time! And we also found the human spell, too! You can…" North was still talking, but Jack's ears weren't listening. His body became numb and his voice lost itself in his throat.

Human again?

After all he'd been through, all the fun he'd had, and the emotions he'd felt with Bunny as his family, the idea of being human again seemed so dreary compared to the life of a Pooka. If he was human again, he'd have to go back to being alone at his lake, sleeping through the cold nights with nothing more than his staff and his memories to keep him warm.

"North. North! NORTH!" Jack roared as he finally got the man to stop blabbering. North looked at Jack, who's eyes were going from red and fuzzy to taught and intentional again. This was the look of a spirit who had a plan.

"Yes, Jack?"

* * *

*I tried to reference Maori culture on the tribal tattoos, but I couldn't get much time to find anything definitive on where the first one went. So I went with the forehead.

Please read and review! I know it's kinda short, but the next (and possibly final) chapter will be better!


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about the wait. It's been a hectic holiday. Managed to catch a bit of the flu (or flu related symptoms thanks to stress). Anyways, standard warnings and disclaimers: me no own, you see what you want to see, no flaming please.

And a major thanks to all my reviewers, favs, watchers, etc! You guys really make my day!

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Bunny had to admit, after all these years, the Warren seemed rather dull without his Jackrabbit around. Sure, the flowers were always in bloom and the sun sparkled on every leaf of every tree, but it just wasn't home any more. It's been two days since the brat had departed from his cozy abode, and Bunny had managed to keep himself ridiculously busy without Easter preparations. However, a minor trip down a major hill left him sitting in the same spot for the last three hours while his ankle swelled to the size of a baseball. The egglettes were trying their best to treat their master's injury without his orders, and were jumbling over each other while trying to tie the last knot in the bandages. Overall, they seemed to have done an amazing job for armless beings, but Bunny didn't offer his thanks. He was too busy staring at the lake and thinking back to various memories of Lillith and Jack.

The first memory was when he taught the kits how to swim, and Lillith gave him a hand in holding the babes up in the water while they moved through the standard motions of swimming. Nero nearly drowned the first time he plunged into the water, but Aster was fast enough to dive in after him while Marina screamed from the shore. Lillith didn't even know what had happened until she looked up from Cato, who had managed to get his foot stuck in a small hole. Nero got a good lecture when they got home that day, but Bunny got an even worse one for allowing his brother to go swimming without permission.

The next was when he'd done the same with Jack just a few days. He managed learn how to move his new, overly large Pooka feet through the water with the grace of a moose trying to perform swan lake. Bunny couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to do this with his own kids, but quickly shoved the thought out of his mind. Unless Manny had some very eccentric scheme up his sleeve, kits were out of the question. And Bunny didn't need to waste time thinking of what could have been and what should've been.

The last memory that kept fluttering through his mind were Jack's last words to him as he departed that fateful morning. Bunny felt like after all this fun with the white Pooka, going back to being plain, old Bunny's Warren was going to be a hell of a journey. The days spent gardening and minding his own business seemed rather boring compared to the fun filled mornings with Jack. And the nights spent curled up in his favorite chair were going to return to that boring state of him dripping various solutions of water and minerals onto plants to make them grow faster and stronger than before. Oh, and the afternoons were going to be a joy mixing up the same old colors he's mixed a thousand times before. Yeah, real great existence he had to look forward to.

The egglettes cleared away the remnants of the bandages and various creams they'd used on their master's ankle as Bunny flopped backwards onto the soft grass. He remembered what the younger buck had said to him about the grass, and carefully rolled over to shove his nose into the emerald strands. He breathed in the scent of the fresh earth and healthy blades, taking in the sweet aroma that seemed second nature for him to inhale on a daily basis. He'd forgotten what it was like the first time he'd stepped into the Warren, back when he had just begun his existence as the Easter Bunny. Back then, he was much like Jack- barely beginning to understand why children needed to believe in him, and why he'd had such trouble getting someone to see him. It hurt to think that Jack had to endure that for so many years, when Bunny only had to go through a few months of not being believed in.

And part of him could see why Jack had such trouble getting someone to see him- after all, snow can't fall in just any old place on the planet. Since the temperatures were rising, Jack's potential domain had to be shortened. He could go through warmer climates, but staying long enough to decrease the temperature took a long time. Jack would get sick if he stayed in the warmer climates for too long, so that meant every child in the tropics would never believe in him. Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, and North didn't have that problem. They could send their gifts to whoever they needed to without a worry about how hot it was outside. Poor Jack could only give his gifts if the seasons were right and the climate was good.

Bunny shoved himself upwards slowly, trying his best not to fumble his newly bandaged ankle as he gathered the egglettes around him for a hug. His world seemed to be crumbling before his eyes, and yet, he refused to allow himself to run back to the place he once called home. That graveyard seemed to be the only place in the world where he could open up and just be Aster. It was also the only place he allowed himself to cry when all those bloody memories came back.

Bunny fell back in the grass, but decided to face the waterfall this time. The egglettes had seized up in his arms, but didn't leave their master's side as the large Pooka curled himself around the bundle of brightly colored eggs. Minutes turned into hours, and Bunny drifted off to sleep at some point.

* * *

Footsteps fell on the fresh grass of the Warren as a familiar figure entered the Easter King's domain. He took a deep breath, making sure his nerves were ready for this.

One by one, his footsteps padded their way through the warren. It seemed like just yesterday he was here, and yet, he couldn't remember the paths as well as his worried mind overtook rationality.

After nearly half an hour of walking, the heavy laden footsteps of the being ceased when they saw the object of their quest resting on a large hill, not far from their position. Carefully, they approached the grey Pooka. They had to make sure to tread carefully over the vines, or else they'd get an earful from a very unhappy Pooka. He cared greatly for his plants, and certainly didn't want to have to grow his enlarged vines back to their previous curtain like stature in the Warren. Between the grass and the vines, the rabbit seemed to make a very good homemaker by just using their drape and carpet qualities. And without any predators in the Warren, you could just fall asleep on the lush surface of the ground without having to worry about being attacked or swarmed by nasty bugs.

They neared the Pooka with gentle steps, fearful that they would wake him with a start.

A large hand reached out to their friend, gently rubbing his shoulder to wake him.

"Bunny. Bunny. Wake up." They said. Bunny squirmed a bit before refolding himself into a curled position, defending his eggs from the evil of awakening.

"Brush off…" Bunny mumbled as he tried to block the normally welcoming sunlight with his forearm. The man would have nothing of it, and pulled the rabbit's forearm away from his face.

"Wake. Up." He said as he shooed the egglettes away. Bunny pried his eyes open to see who dared to wake him this fine afternoon. He didn't want to be awake right now, because awake meant thinking, and thinking meant thinking about everyone he missed.

"Wha-?" Bunny grumbled as he tried to brush the slumber from his eyes. Normally, Sandy would tease him about such habits, but this round was different. When he opened his eyes, it was not Sandy he saw. It was a large, red coated man.

"Have you seen Jack?"

* * *

Yep. That's right. Not the last chapter! Anyways, kinda short, but the idea wrote itself like that. So, review if you don't mind, and be polite ~please~. I'm gonna go see the Hobbit again. Want to see the hotness of Thorin… and the cuteness of Bilbo. Leave it to Jackson to make dwarves hot.


	9. Chapter 9

Warnings and disclaimer: Me no own, I make no money off this, it's purely free entertainment that I write to help alleviate my stress and hopefully stop me from having another SIS.

Feel free to review politely. I really love my reviewers.

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Jack grunted as his body hit the cold floor again. Rolling over on his side, he tried to clear his throat of the trickle of blood that had seeped down his esophagus, tickling his neck in just the wrong place as a cough overtook the gasping. His chest hurt and he couldn't defend himself with his arms tied behind his back. He curled into himself as his scrambled mind raced for an idea to escape the dark amalgamation's lair.

When Pitch's nightmares attacked him outside of Burgess on his way back to the Warren, Jack was unprepared to say the least. Even with his trusty staff returned to him, he was having difficulty relearning every trick in his book. The fur was making it harder to twist and cast ice as needed, and his small practice session was rudely interrupted by a large, horse shaped sand cloud pummeling him to the ground. After a poorly fought battle with the beast, a well placed hoof to the young buck's face knocked Jack out cold. He awoke in the Nightmare King's lair, already bound and on the floor without his staff in sight.

"Aw, isn't this cute. The little bunny wants to go to sleep." Pitch chuckled as he kicked Jack over, causing the rabbit to tumble and slide over to the other side of the arena like stone floor. He choked on his own blood again, given it really wasn't that much this time. He spat out at the dark king, managing to get a few drops of blood on the former general's face. He'd heard tales of General Pitchiner from back in the day, mostly from the tales the other guardians would tell him. The man sounded amazing, fighting Dream pirates and defeating fearlings, until his own longing had done him in. Jack had to admire the General, but the being known as Pitch was not that man. Jack launched a good kick out at the shins of the dark cloaked being, hitting him with every ounce of strength he had left. Pitch grunted as the fluffy pair of feet hit him. After landing another kick to the white rabbit's chest, Pitch straightened himself back up.

"What do you want from me?" Jack growled at the larger being.

"Oh, that should be easy to see. I needed a guinea pig for my experiments, and you happen to be the sturdiest of the Guardians." Pitch said as he leaned forward to grip Jack's chin. Jack capitalized on the moment and chomped down on the Nightmare King's hand, drawing blood where his new teeth hit. Pitch released his hold on the younger immortal's face and stumbled backwards.

"You know, I used to admire you, Kosmotis." Jack hushed out, his voice sore and scratchy from coughing.

"Oh, don't start the pity play, Jackson." Pitch growled.

"Not pity, just don't understand." Jack hissed out as he flopped over on his front.

"What's there to understand? I wanted power and I took it." Pitch replied as he observed his bitten hand with a wary eye.

"No. That's not true. North said you missed your family." Jack replied as level headed as possible. Pitch stopped looking at his hand to stare at the wall for a moment, a lost look swirling in his façade.

"What's it to you?" Pitch growled as he turned his back to the winter spirit, folding his hands behind his back in a pensive stance.

"You had a daughter. She's-" Jack was cut off by Pitch backhanding him hard across the cheek.

"Not a word about her." Pitch seethed. Jack coughed roughly and curled back into himself.

"She- She misses you." He whispered.

"What was that?" Pitch roared as he gripped the young Pooka's ears, giving them a hard pull as he yanked the white rabbit upwards. Jack yelped in a strangling voice as he struggled for air between his sore chest and throat.

"She- She misses you. She's still alive." Jack whispered. Pitch grabbed the young buck by the neck and held him up. Jack grunted in pain as he back and arms twisted in unnatural turns.

"She died years ago! Don't play with my memories!" Pitch said as he threw the Pooka against the wall. Jack could only yelp as his back hit the wall with a sickening crunch. He landed with a thud on the floor. After a testing move to see if anything was broken, he pried open eyes to see Pitch pacing around like a caged cat. He tossed his hands out in frustration, as if trying to reason with another being locked in his head.

"No…" Jack gasped, getting Pitch's attention again. The little voice of reason in the back of his head told him not to give this monster any more incentive to throw him around again, but Jack chose not to listen to the voice.

"No? No what?" Pitch barked as he tromped over to the white Pooka, who's fur was starting to stain red in small patches.

"She's not dead. North said she's taken Mother Nature's role." Jack gasped quietly, earning an odd look from the Nightmare King.

"It's… no, It's not possible. She died in the invasion." Pitch swore as his head fell against the fluffy forehead of the Pooka, as if praying that the white rabbit's words were true.

"No. Manny saved her. She tried to help the people. Died because of it." Jack managed to gasp out. Pitch seemed to be warring within himself, as his face changed between a dark scowl and a relieved smile repeatedly.

"She's alive. She's alive!" An unusually happy voice came from the master of Nightmares. Jack couldn't help but observe the man as the darkness that had consumed him all those years ago began to fade, sliding off of him like a oily coating. Jack started to catch glimpses of gold and white accented grey armor- wore from time and not nearly as dark as the fearling coloration Jack had grown so accustomed to seeing him in. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see the Nightmares stomping and growling in repulsion. Much to his surprise, Pitch released one hand from the rabbit's neck and held it out to form a golden sword. He dropped the Pooka, who landed roughly on his backside, and turned to face his former servants.

Jack didn't hear any battle cry, but the golden sword slipped through the first Nightmare like it was half melted butter. The dark sand vanquished itself from the golden blade, turning into golden dream dust. Jack managed to shove himself up on his bound elbows as he watched the former general slice through another Nightmare. The oily pool of darkness that gathered at his feet slide further down and off to his side, where it started to take form on its own. Jack could see oddly shaped limb like structures forming from the fearlings that had released General Pitchiner, growling and snapping as they rose up to face him. The General he'd heard so many stories about as a young guardian turned towards the beast. Jack could see that he was already tired from his battle, and couldn't muster the grand visage he'd held just a few minutes ago as the beast lashed out one arm like structure at the man. Pitchiner flew across the room, landing just feet from Jack. Jack looked back at the creature and started to look around for some way to help the man. With the darkness still seeping from his new ally's body, Jack had to figure out how to help him without causing the darkness to seek refuge in his worn body again. A sharp glint came into the Pooka's line of sight. A metal rod had fallen loose from one of the cages during a fight, and by stretching his toes, he managed to pull the rod over. Fumbling it quickly behind his back, he used a sharp edge to slice through his bonds, before grabbing the rod and jumping onto the beast's back. The creature screamed as Jack jammed the sharp point of the rod into being's back. A hissing stream of black air came from the wound as the creature thrashed against Jack. It bucked and tossed until it dislodged the dirty white rabbit from its back. Pitchiner, seeking the moment to free himself, stabbed his golden sword through what was left of the oily darkness at his feet. Luckily, this severed enough of the remaining darkness to allow Pitch to escape. While the creature moaned and slid off to the side of the room bathed in shadows, Jack stumbled over to the fallen General and gathered him onto his back. He grabbed his staff and shoved it into his mouth to carry better on the run.

"We need to leave." Jack hushed breathlessly.

"Out that way." Pitchiner said as he pointed to the secluded little exit off to the side of the room. They could hear the beastly cries of the fearlings mixing with the aggressive snorts of Nightmares as they fled. When they nearly reached the surface, the daylight seemed to be staving off the remainder of the darkness that dwelled in the little hole Pitchiner used to call home.

"Which way?" Jack barked as tried to catch his breath for only a moment. Pitchiner pointed to the nearby town of Burgess.

"There. Your friends won't mind keeping us in the light, I hope." Pitchiner said as he stumbled along with Jack. Jack gathered all the strength he had left and hauled the General, who was a good deal larger than Jack, onto his back. He started to hop like Bunny, hoping his strength would be enough to get them out of the ever decreasing afternoon light.

As they rushed through the forest, Jack could practically feel the greasy tendrils of darkness reaching for them from behind trees and rocks.

"Why are they after you? Didn't we kick their butts enough?" Jack asked breathlessly as he kept his pace.

"They need a new host. They can't survive well without a physical body. I think I'm just there easiest target right now." Pitchiner said as he held on tight. As Jack reached the fence of Jamie's house, he gave one last big jump before landing on the other side of the wooden barricade. The creatures stopped in their tracks, hissing and snapping at the house. Jack and Pitchiner rolled over on the ground, taking deep, comforting breaths as they tried to calm themselves.

"Who's there?" The familiar voice of Jamie came from inside the house. Jack could barely find the energy to turn over as the twelve year old came through the door. He took one glance at the collapsed pair of immortal beings on his lawn.

"Hey! Jamie!" Jack said as he waved to his first believer. Jamie stared at the white Pooka for a moment before approaching him.

"Jack?" Jamie asked as he reached out a curious hand to stroke the soft white ear.

"Yeah, it's me. I'll explain later, can we come in? It's kinda an emergency, and I need to get a message to North." Jack said as he gathered the General up again. Jamie held the door open for the two as they came through.

"Perfect timing, by the way. Mom and Dad had to go to grandma's for the evening. She says she broke something in her kitchen, and they won't be back for a few hours." Jamie said as he led the pair into his living room. Sofie was taking a nap on the arm chair with Abby, who barely raised her head to growl at the rabbit.

"Easy, girl." Jack said as he held out his palm for the dog to sniff. She laid her head back down after recognizing his scent with a wag of her tail.

"What can I help with?" Jamie asked as he took a good look at Pitchiner.

"Just keep the lights on until North arrives. Do you have any lamps? I don't think those Nightmares are going to play nice." Pitchiner said as he rubbed his eyes. Jack felt a ping of sympathy for the man. He must have been exhausted when he freed himself, and the sudden dash for safety was taking its toll on the man.

"Sure." Jamie said as he went into the kitchen and retrieved the emergency lamps they kept in the pantry.

"There we go." Jack said as he lifted the window just enough to send out a snowflake. He'd managed to develop a system of hard snowflakes that could carry his messages to his fellow guardians over the past two months.

"Do you think they'll get here soon?" Pitchiner asked as he slumped onto the sofa. Jamie was still giving him an odd look.

"Probably within two hours. If we can just keep them at bay until then, we should be able to get you to the pole without too much hassle. North's magic won't let them in the sleigh." Jack replied.

"Good. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can rest." Pitchiner sighed, curling into himself as he tried to calm his rattled nerves.

"Who are you, anyways?" Jamie asked with his childish curiosity. Pitchiner smiled weakly at the child, to which Jack could only step in.

"You might not remember him like this, but he used to be 'Pitch'. This is General Kosmotis Pitchiner, from the Golden Age army." Jack explained, introducing the worn man with the air of returning hero. Jack began to relay the story he'd heard so many times from North- about the battles, the prison, and the inevitable fall of the great General Pitchiner. Jamie, despite a moment of temporary fear, looked at the man. His clothes were dusty and torn, and his face spoke volumes of his time away from his family. It took about thirty minutes to tell the sad tale, only to finish it with Pitchiner looking depressed and Jamie finding the need to hug the man.

"So, you really defeated the Dream Pirates?" Jamie asked, trying to lighten the subject a bit. Pitchiner smiled at the boy.

"Yes. And the best part about it, they never saw it coming. I couldn't wait to get home and see my daughter that day. She was so proud of me." Pitchiner spoke gently.

"So… your daughter's Mother Nature now?" Jamie asked, uncertain of how to continue the conversation.

"So it seems. I haven't seen her in over two thousand years." Pitchiner admitted, a depressed look taking his worn appearance to a new level of exhausted. Jack didn't know if he should say anything about it, but he did reach out a hand to lay on the man's shoulder.

"It's all cool, man. She's missed you. She's been trying to get you back all this time, but things have been… complicated." Jack said.

"I pray she isn't too mad at me." Pitchiner said as he relaxed onto the sofa, letting his eyes slip shut for a moment. Jack and Jamie carefully placed a blanket over his lap and took a seat on the coffee table.

"He's really amazing, isn't he?" Jamie said as he rubbed one of Jack's ears. Jack smiled and nodded.

"Let me guess, you are wondering about the new look?" Jack asked with a hint of jesting in his voice.

"Well, if you'd like to tell, I'd listen." Jamie joked back.

"Before we freed him from the fearlings, they used him to turn me into this. I've been hanging with Bunny for a week to learn how to use these" Jack said as he pointed to his feet.

"How is Bunny?" Jamie asked.

"Same old awesome rabbit. Kinda glad I got his attention back in '68." Jack jested back.

"Why did you send that blizzard? Surely you knew that was his holiday?" Jamie replied.

"Yup. But it's hard to get Kangaroo to notice you sometimes." Jack admitted as he fingered and twirled his staff between his palms.

"I swear, it seems like you guys are worse than teenagers." Jamie admired as he quietly pushed himself off the table. Reindeer hooves clattered on top of the house, ceasing their conversation.

* * *

Please review politely. I like polite reviews! And school starts back today, so updates are gonna be further apart.


	10. Chapter 10

Kinda short, but I'm crunched on time. What can I say, Calculus takes effort and time and it's at constant war with Medical Terminology.

Anyways, me no own, please enjoy, and I make no money off this.

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When they arrived at the Santoff Clausen, the yetis were already on standby to take Pitchiner to the medical wing without more than a few ordering grunts and fast paced hand motions. Jack wanted to follow him, but Tooth pulled him away from the chaos that surrounded the former general.

"Jack!" Tooth hushed as she brought his fluffy head into her chest, coddling him like a child who'd had a nightmare.

"Tooth, what's happening?" Jack whispered with as much strength as his worn body would allow.

"North said to be on standby when you landed. After all these years, we didn't know if Pitch would be ok back in his real body." Tooth said as she started wiping off the dirt and dead leaves from the white rabbit's hair. Jack leaned against her warmth as his temperature sore nerves started to heat up. One better part of his new Pooka body was the lack of icy coldness. He always hated being that same temperature all year around, but the rabbit fur refused to let him freeze anymore, even after North gave him his ice powers back.

"Where's Bunny?" Jack asked as he started to shiver from a mixture of excitement and burning nerves. Tooth gently pulled the Pooka towards the heated air of the workshop, grabbing a large blanket as they passed the stack of wool covers and wrapping it around the young buck.

"North made him stay behind. He got so agitated when you didn't show up, he wouldn't stop pacing. He's still up in the meeting hall, chugging eggnog with a good dose of whiskey." Tooth offered with a small, clearly forced giggle. Jack shivered a bit more, but managed a laugh to reassure her he didn't hold a grudge. Tooth pushed the dingy rabbit into the favorite sofa of North's palace as a yeti started to lean over him with a wet wash cloth. Jack watched as the large, furry hand kept removing itself from his head covered in a mixture of red-brown crust and chunks of black, dead leaves. Time seemed to slow itself unexpectedly- crawling along with the speed of a drugged sloth. Soon, the warmth of the blanket and fire combined made the white rabbit very sleepy.

"Uhngerahatrere" The yeti grumbled to Tooth.

"Yeah, I'm thinking so. Jack, let's get you to the baths." Tooth said as she lifted the young buck by his arm. Jack nodded as best he could as a wave of dizziness hit him. The youngster lost his footing and fell into the glistening feathered fairy.

"Uh… Ok." Jack grumbled as his head fell forward and a wave of nausea hit him. He reached up with an uncoordinated hand, grabbing Tooth's feathers once or twice before finding his own face, and gripped his mouth with an iron grasp.

"Jack? Are you ok?" Tooth asked as she threw her arms around the white rabbit to stop him from falling.

"Just dizzy." Jack grumbled as he nuzzled his pink nose into Tooth's shoulder.

"Let's get you a bath, and then we can see about getting you to one of the medics." Tooth insisted. Jack let himself be escorted up the stairs and into the large communal bathroom. As he entered the tiled halls, he could have sworn he heard the familiar Aussie voice of his favorite kangaroo.

"Well, where is he?" The agitated and clearly stressed Pooka barked as he failed to control his temper. With their search for the younger buck unfruitful, his ability to cope with the situation seemed to be failing more by the minute. To make matters worse, he had to deal with North trying to quip him down with his classically annoying 'Easter is not Christmas' joke. The only things Bunny would admit to even remotely enjoying about Christmas time were eggnog and family time with the other Guardians. And the eggnog better be spiked if North was in his jesting mood.

"He's getting cleaned up. Looks like he took bad spill in mud." North assured the grey Pooka. Bunny only crouched and leaped off in a stressed out hurry, pacing around the room in angry bunny hops while mumbling to himself.

"He's not hurt, right?" Bunny barked after a few minutes of grumbling.

"No, but you can thank Pitch for that. He-" North was cut off by two large grey fur covered paws seizing his collar and shaking him.

"PITCH? HE TOOK MY JACKRABBIT?" Bunny yelled as he attempted to scramble the Christmas spirits brains with traumatic force.

"I-I-NO!" North barked as he grabbed the Pooka's forearms and pushed him away. Bunny panted as he rubbed his hands over his face to dissipate the tension that claimed his nose and forehead.

"Bunny." Tooth said as she fluttered up to see the two boys. Bunny glanced at her through a small crack between his fingers.

"Tooth?" He grumbled miserably. Somewhere in the back of his head, that little voice of reason noted that he was the Guardian of Hope and Rebirth, so things like this shouldn't have affected him so badly. The other half of his brain told his voice of reason to go off itself until they had Jack back.

"He's alright Bunny. Just a little bump to the head. You can see him in a few minutes." Tooth said as she reached a tentative hand out to brush the worry worn Bunny's ears out of his face and back to their floppy position behind his head.

"Thanks Tooth." Bunny said as started to hop around the study impatiently. North glanced to Tooth, who shrugged as she flittered over to perch herself on the back of the large, red sofa. North took his favorite worn red leather chair as he massaged his brow. Between the two Pookas, he could feel his hair growing whiter by the moment.

"Bunny-" North called as the rabbit stopped hoping for a moment to grab more whiskey laced eggnog.

"Yeah, mate?"Bunny inquired before he threw back another glass.

"Sit. You're making me dizzy with the hopping." North grumbled as he relaxed his back against the heavy chair.

"…Alright." Bunny agreed as he padded his way back to the elongated red sofa and flopped down in front of Tooth, who sighed in resignation. It took a lot of time and patience to be the Tooth Fairy, but her second job seemed to be one of the only two peacemakers in their little group.

"He'll be fine, Bunny. He's Jack. When hasn't he been fine?" Tooth offered as she reached down to rub the fluffy Pooka's belly.

"He's- He's Jack. I can't help but worry about him. And the whole Pitch fiasco- it's all just so frustrating." Bunny admitted as a large green and red blanket was folded around his torso by the iridescent fairy.

"And he's been on his own for three hundred years. He's not a little kid." Tooth encouraged as she brushed the long, stiff ears back. Bunny glanced up at her with a lost look. He didn't want to lose his Jack Rabbit. He'd finally gotten a small family together after so long, the thought of losing his new best mate was a crushing idea.

"Bunny?" A weak voice came from across the room. Bunny shoved his torso off the sofa with a dampened alertness common only to the weary and restless. Jack stood in the doorway, leaning on the articulate wood carved frame for stability. One of the yetis stood behind him with a proud look glazing his face.

"Jack-" Bunny groaned as Jack rushed over to the larger Pooka, embracing him as a small moan escaped his throat. Bunny couldn't help but do a quick once over to check for injuries. The only ones he found were a few scrapes on his legs and arms where the smaller rabbit had landed in the dirt, and one rather worrying gash on top of his head. Bunny took a good look at the crusting over gash, which had been stitched together by one of the yetis.

"Ugh-gerbet-ader" The yeti mumbled to North off to the side of the room. Bunny wrapped the newly cleaned and patched up white rabbit in his blanket, pulling the smaller immortal as close to his larger body as possible. Jack pushed his pink nose into the grey Pooka's fur, breathing in the comforting scent of the elder rabbit.

"I'm here, mate. I'm here." Bunny comforted as he pulled the younger rabbit down onto the couch and curled his larger body around the fluffy bunny. Jack allowed himself to be tucked in between the thick backing of the sofa and the larger Pooka.

"And Pitch?" They heard North whisper. Bunny was half listening, but Jack was still too dazed to really focus on the conversation between the Christmas spirit and the yeti. Tooth glided over to the whispering pair of monolithic figures.

"Urer-durbaher" The yeti grumbled. North nodded and Tooth looked concerned.

"And Nature?" Tooth asked, slightly frightened of the answer.

"Ur-daber" The yeti hushed.

"Now?!" North jumped as Tooth hushed him.

"Don't worry, we can handle her. She just wants Kosmotis and she can give him better care than we can." Tooth whispered as she pushed the other two out of the room. North looked at her with a bit of concern, but she just motioned quietly to the pair of rabbits curled up on the sofa. North sighed before turning back to the pair and pushing himself past the fluttering fairy.

"Bunny" North said as he approached the cuddling balls of fur. Bunny raised his head and gave a half acknowledging grunt in response. "Let me show you two to the guest quarters."

"M'ok." Bunny moaned as he gathered Jack into his arms while untangling himself from the blanket.

"Right this way." North said as he waved the yeti away and motioned for Tooth to follow them. The quartet moved towards the quiet of the night quarter wing, where the elves and Yetis would rest off their shifts during the last few months before Christmas. The hallways were oddly quiet, with only the distant tinkering sounds of the skeleton crew getting a few toy designs in at the late hour. Each step was made in awkward silence, with Tooth and North unwilling to make enough noise to wake the slumbering white rabbit.

As they reached the empty rooms, North opened the door and let Bunny and Jack into their sleeping quarters. The bed was the same plush set up that they'd rested in the last time Jack was laid up with a royal butt kicking from Pitch himself. Bunny padded his way towards the bed and set the warm bundle on the cloud soft surface. He turned to the other two guardians and smiled. North and Tooth smiled back before reaching over to the turn out the lights as Bunny climbed into the bed and wrapped the heavy covers around both of the furry forms. The wind started to pick up as the night progress, but the two rabbits didn't notice. Exhaustion from the last week and the current calm was enough to whisk both Pookas into the realm of dreams without Sandy's magic.

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I should say, I'm not ignoring your reviews and comments! I promise! But it does take a lot of time to respond to most of them, so I just want to say you guys are awesome for commenting, and I love you!

Happy Valentines Day!


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Rise of the Guardians or The Guardians of Childhood series. I make no money off of this series. It's purely for entertainment. Please stay tuned!

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The sound of crashing dishes and breaking glass were the first abuse to the young buck's ears. He cringed as best he could against the larger, warm frame of the grey Pooka, more as a reflex than from the pulling muscles in his back. He nuzzled his pink nose against the fluff of the ancient rabbit, inhaling the musty scent of gardening and hard boiled eggs mixed with moist dirt and paint. He had grown to associate the scent with the heavy arms of the larger rabbit, as well as the warmth and protection that inhabited the space between their bodies. Bunny's body could easily keep the two of them warm on the coldest night, which Jack swore he would make more frequent. The grey Pooka rubbed his ward's floppy ears as he nuzzled the white rabbit's fuzzy head.

"Guess that's a 'good morning' to us." Bunny joked to his new family member as he stretched his slumber stiffened muscles out from under the sleep warmed blanket and past the wooden footboard of the bed. Jack tried to mimic the movement, only to receive a sickening crack from his knees and ankles as he tried to move his toes. Momentary pain blossomed from the stiff muscles as the lactic acid released from yesterday's sore muscles, but it dissipated quickly enough. Jack retracted back into his curled ball of bunny fluff as Bunny ran his large paw through his charge's unruly mane. Jack chuckled as he met the larger rabbit's hand with his own, glad just to have Bunny near more than anything else.

"I don't want to get up." Jack mumbled against Bunny's ear. Bunny smirked as he wrapped both arms around his Jackrabbit.

"You lazy Americans. Ya never want to wake up with the sunshine and rooster. Always the lazy good-fer-nothings." Bunny laughed as he nuzzled the bundle of warm white fur named Jack. Jack giggled lowly as he returned the affection.

"What can I say, we enjoy a lazy morning and a late evening." Jack joked back. Bunny gave his approval with a lighthearted grunt. Jack sighed as he gripped the grey fur, a pondering question dodging between his tongue and his brain. Bunny glanced up to see the white Pooka in such an usual pensive state. As un-Jack like this was, Bunny didn't hold back his thoughts.

"What's up? You never stay quiet this long." Bunny said as he gently rubbed the white rabbit's ears. When he was a kit, his mum always rubbed his ears like this to make him feel better when he got sick or upset. It always brought him some degree of comfort just to finger the tips of his own ears when he had trouble sleeping or when he was feeling insecure.

"I- I was just thinking, what happens now?" Jack asked, a concerned look glazing his white furred face. Bunny took a moment to stare at the smaller Pooka.

"Well, Jacky, that should be obvious!" Bunny jested. Jack just looked at the elder Pooka with the deer in the headlights look as his right ear flopped forward over his shoulder.

"Huh?" Jack asked.

"After all this mess- you're comin' back to the Warren! No ifs, ands or buts about it!" Bunny boasted as he rubbed his chin over the white rabbit's head again. Jack chuckled again as he tried to mimic the elder rabbit's motions. It felt so good to nuzzle Bunny, but he couldn't explain it. The last time he'd felt so emotionally warm and safe was when he was still alive. One cold night, when his sister was still a baby, his mother and father had insisted that they all pile together in the thickest blankets they had. With Jack nestled between his parents and holding his sister in his arms, nothing in the world could have hurt them. He loved that memory.

"You ok, Jacky?" Bunny asked as Jack felt the thumb of the larger Pooka brush against the lower part of his cheek. Jack gripped the larger Pooka's hand with his own, holding it against his face as gently as he could. He just wanted the contact warmth. He needed it so badly, he didn't want to leave this bed. He wanted to live here for the rest of his days and never feel cold again.

"Yeah. I'm ok." Jack whispered after a few minutes. Bunny pulled him back into a warm hug and nuzzled his head before slipping off the bed and stretching his body out. Jack waited for a moment before doing the same, greeting the cool floor with his pink and white feet.

"Great. Let's see what time it is, and we'll grab some grub." Bunny smirked as he walked towards the door with the confidence only seen in a proud stallion after a successful fight. Jack wouldn't call it strutting, but it may as well have been.

"Sounds wonderful to me."

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Jack and Bunny quietly consumed their green leafy breakfast quickly as they sat together on the large sofa listening to North and Tooth explain what had happened overnight. Kosmotis was back in his daughter's care, and the shadows wouldn't dare wander into Mother Nature's territory. If the Guardians were a force to be reckoned with, Mother Nature's wrath was a hurricane compared to their powers. She could easily devastate the shadows forces with little more than a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. The only reason she hadn't been able to pin Pitch after all of these years was simply that they had developed a great sense of watching for the weather. The shadows would always take off before the powerful immortal could arrive, making the search and rescue nearly impossible.

"So, with Pitch not being- er- Pitch anymore, we will have to fight harder to make sure the shadows do not take root again!" North proclaimed as he motioned with his hands roughly. Bunny pulled the white rabbit tightly against his side, making sure that Jack didn't leave his hold.

"And they will be everywhere?" Jack asked. He hadn't fought against shadows before, but certainly the older Guardians knew something about them.

"Anywhere and everywhere. They will attack any child's dreams and ravage what they can if given the opportunity." Tooth spoke as she flittered around the pair of Pookas. Bunny unconsciously held Jack even tighter, causing a slight bruise on the younger Pooka's shoulder. Jack didn't mind. He was becoming used to the elder Pooka's protective nature, and didn't blame him for trying to protect the only member of his 'family' left.

"We can take 'em." Bunny said as he threw up his free hand in a fist. Jack, happy to see Bunny so enthusiastic, smiled as brightly as the sun itself.

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And that's all for this segment folks. I've run this story to its end, and I'm quite pleased with the results. I hate to end it, since you've all been so amazing through your reviews, but I might make a few shorts to go with this. If you'd like to follow me on DA, I do have some pictures I plan to post when I can get some time to finish them. And I may make a sequel to this- but it will most likely have to wait for either the second Rise of the Guardians movie, or more likely, their show. Dreamworks seems to be making quite a statement with its shows (I personally like How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of Berk over Kung fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness). But please stay tuned! I won't hit 'complete' on this one yet, so look for a possible extra in the next month or so (school's winding down here, and I have a lot on my plate, so writing has to take a back burner).


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